Sailing to the Sandwich Islands Quiz

Answer: Canoe

Polynesians had traveled to the Hawaiian Islands via canoe. They also brought with them crops such as sugar and domesticated animals like pigs. These Polynesians may have at one point been aboriginal Australians who were known to have primitive versions of canoes.

The canoe itself is not believed to be a Polynesian invention as it is sometimes said to be. Canoes predating Polynesians have been excavated in the Netherlands and Denmark.

Answer: James Cook

This is the same Earl of Sandwich whose named is given to the snack. Cook was attempting to discover the Northwest Passage between Europe and Asia at the time he landed in Hawaii. Cook noted that many of the local Hawaiians were strong and healthy. However, when the French arrived a decade later, they said many of the people were weak and sick, likely from the new diseases the British brought.

Answer: Kamehameha I

Kamehameha I is said to have fulfilled an ancient Hawaiian prophecy that states that the one who moves the Naha Stone would unite the islands. Many people and leaders believed Kamehameha I to be not worthy of even attempting such a task, but he did so any way and later united the islands. It is unknown how much of this story is actually true.

Answer: Codes of conduct or generally "what not to do" rules

The kapu system put strict restrictions on the people of Hawaii, mainly involving contact with people of high rank. Kapu means 'forbidden' and if something is said to be kapu, it means taboo. Under the kapu system, it was strictly forbidden to even look at a chief. Women were forbidden to eat certain fruits including coconut and bananas. King Kamehameha II abolished the system by symbolically sharing his kapu fruit with women of his court. He did so because the kapu system gave too much power to tribal chiefs and the king wanted to make sure that his successor was a descendent of his.

The defeat of the pro-kapu forces led to the Christianization of Hawaii as the local religion's power was significantly weakened.

Answer: Lord George Paulet

The event is called the Paulet Affair. Lord Paulet had landed in Honolulu Harbor and demanded Kamehameha III turn over possession of the islands to the British. Fearing attack, Kamehameha resigned. However, Gerrit P. Judd, an American missionary to Hawaii and a translator to the king, opposed the British seizure of the islands.

The U.S. and France had previously ignored, when informed of such a thing by the British, warnings that the islands would be attacked if Kamehameha III did not step down as king.

When Judd informed Richard Darton Thomas, Paulet's superior, Thomas returned control of Hawaii to Kamehameha III.

Answer: Sugar

In addition to sugar, rice was also given duty-free import status, but it was sugar that was far more crucial. Americans began investing in sugar plantations and Hawaii saw an increase in immigrants from Asia. Although it was not part of the formal act, in return the U.S. received Pearl Harbor and other lands when the U.S. demanded them for naval reasons.

Answer: Enforced voting restrictions

White Americans living in Hawaii constituted a minority, but a powerful minority. They opposed King David Kalakaua's spending which saw the islands fall into severe debt. The Bayonet Constitution essentially ceded power to the Americans as well as the Europeans living there and a few wealthy native Hawaiians. Voting was mostly restricted to whites who then controlled elections and appointments. One of the key leaders of the effort to oust the king was Sanford Dole, cousin to James Dole who founded the Dole Pineapple Company.

Answer: Liliuokalani

Liliuokalani was the sister of King David Kalakaua. She immediately tried a compromise constitution that restored power to the monarchy but kept the voting restrictions in place. Almost immediately, the powerful American/European minority rejected her and appealed to the U.S. for formal annexation.

She was eventually arrested in 1895 after a failed attempt to drive out the U.S. military. She was sentenced to hard labor but spent years imprisoned in Iolani Palace, where she wrote some of her famous Hawaiian love songs.

Answer: False

Over 93% of Hawaiians approved statehood in a referendum. Statehood was opposed by many politicians in the southern U.S. because they believed Hawaiian representatives to Congress would oppose segregation. Some Native Hawaiians also opposed statehood because of bitterness that still existed from when Hawaii was forced to be a U.S. territory.

However, after statehood was achieved, Native Hawaiian culture saw a renaissance. Hula and surfing had once been banned when the British claimed Hawaii and did not become popular again until tourists started flocking to the islands in large numbers.

Answer: Father Damien

He is sometimes known as St. Damien of Molokai and was known for his work in leper colonies on Molokai. This was in the late 19th century when lepers were forced into quarantine with little to no medical assistance. Damien eventually contracted leprosy and died from it. He is also the patron saint of Honolulu and Hawaii and is a saint in several denominations of Christianity.