Hawaiian History Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sandwich Islands

At the time of Cook's landing in Hawaii, the First Lord of the Admiralty in Britain was John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. Cook named the islands in his honor. On his return to the islands, Cook was killed by Hawaiian natives on 14 February 1779.

Answer: Northwest Passage

James Cook was a well-traveled explorer who was the first to map Newfoundland, the first to travel south of the Antarctic circle, the first to circumnavigate New Zealand and also the first to make contact with eastern Australia. As was the case with so many explorers of this age, Cook endeavored to discover the fabled Northwest Passage for a faster route between Europe and Asia.

Answer: Kamehameha I

Also known as Kamehameha the Great, he was born either in 1737 or 1758 (during the appearance of Halley's Comet) on the island of Hawai'i. A member of the "ali'i" or royal family, he was raised in the royal court of his uncle, Kalaniʻopuʻu. By 1810, Kamehameha had conquered all of the islands in the chain and was king of a unified Hawaiian islands.

Answer: 1816

The Union Jack of Great Britain was the flag used by the Hawaiians until 1816. The state flag still has the Union Jack in its upper left corner.

Answer: Congregationalists

A group of Congregationalists from New England arrived in the islands in 1820 and soon had converted some of the prominent members of the royal class. Other Christian denominations also made their way to Hawaii and left their mark on the islands. The saga of the early missionaries was popularized by James Michener in his book, "Hawaii".

Answer: Kapu

Kapu was similar to the concept of taboo common to other Polynesian cultures and it governed many facets of everyday life. For example, men and women were forbidden to eat meals together. Breaking a kapu could result in a sentence of death. Around 1819, King Kamehameha II abolished the kapu customs.

Answer: A land redistribution act which abolished the old feudal system

Prior to 1848, when the Great Mahele was enacted, lands belonged to chiefs on behalf of the king in a feudal system. There was no private ownership of land. This act was one many of the reforms made by King Kamehameha III and allowed commoners and foreigners to own land.

Answer: Reciprocity Treaty

This treaty led to the creation of sugar cane plantations and also gave the U.S. the land on Oahu for Pearl Harbor naval base. The influx of Hawaiian sugar cane to the mainland U.S. would later become a source of opposition to Hawaii's admission to the Union by mainland sugar beet proponents.

Answer: Bayonet Constitution

Most of the proponents of the Constitution were wealthy businessmen who threatened to use force against King David Kalakaua. The King signed the document under duress in 1887 when faced with the threat of the Honolulu Rifles. These businessmen favored eventual annexation of the Hawaiian islands by the United States.

Answer: She was overthrown by the Committee of Safety

After her accession in 1891, Queen Lili'uokalani attempted to draft a new constitution to restore the powers of the monarchy and reduce the power of the American and Europeans on the island. Those Americans and Europeans had business interests in Hawai'i and after forming the Committee of Safety, they forced the Queen to abdicate in 1893. Hawai'i was subsequently annexed by the United States and was admitted as the 50th state in 1959.