Hawai'i audiobook cover - Eight Hundred Years of Political and Economic Change

Hawai'i

Eight Hundred Years of Political and Economic Change

Sumner La Croix

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Categories:
EconomicsHistory

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Hawai'i
Pre-Contact Settlement & Society+
European Contact & Transformation+
The Māhele & Rise of Big Sugar+
Overthrow & Colonization+
Statehood & Land Reform+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 9
How do historians learn about Hawaii's pre-19th-century history despite the lack of a written language?
  • A. By translating ancient petroglyphs found in volcanic caves.
  • B. By studying the archaeological record and oral legends known as mo'olelo.
  • C. By analyzing detailed administrative records kept by early European explorers.
  • D. By relying exclusively on the journals of Captain James Cook.
Question 2 of 9
Why was early Polynesian society in Hawaii considered politically egalitarian during its first century of settlement?
  • A. There was plenty of unused arable land, meaning elites had to incentivize workers to stay rather than coerce them.
  • B. A strict religious code mandated the equal distribution of all harvested crops among the population.
  • C. The settlers established a democratic voting system to elect their chiefs and distribute resources.
  • D. The harsh volcanic environment required absolute cooperation and shared ownership to survive.
Question 3 of 9
What primary factor led to the end of Hawaii's early egalitarian society and the rise of a complex, hierarchical political order?
  • A. The introduction of European firearms and cannons.
  • B. A devastating series of hurricanes that destroyed the island's infrastructure.
  • C. The arrival of a second wave of aggressive Polynesian colonists.
  • D. The depletion of unused, high-quality arable land due to massive population growth.
Question 4 of 9
What was the primary purpose and consequence of the Māhele approved by King Kamehameha III in 1848?
  • A. It established a free trade agreement with the United States, ending British influence.
  • B. It reorganized land rights, establishing private property and paving the way for the sugar industry.
  • C. It officially abolished the Hawaiian monarchy and established a republic.
  • D. It redistributed all foreign-owned lands back to the native maka'āinana class.
Question 5 of 9
How did the massive growth of the sugar industry in the late 19th century drastically alter Hawaii's demographics?
  • A. It caused a mass exodus of Native Hawaiians to the United States mainland.
  • B. It encouraged massive waves of European aristocrats to settle in rural Hawaii.
  • C. It led to the importation of thousands of Chinese and Japanese workers on indentured contracts.
  • D. It resulted in a baby boom among the ali'i elites to manage the new plantations.
Question 6 of 9
What economic event directly motivated Hawaii's sugar planters to overthrow Queen Lili’uokalani and seek annexation by the United States?
  • A. The Queen's decision to nationalize all foreign-owned sugar plantations.
  • B. The passage of a US tariff treaty in 1890 that removed their trade privileges and caused an economic depression.
  • C. A massive labor strike by Asian plantation workers that halted all sugar production.
  • D. The discovery of sandalwood alternatives in China that collapsed the Hawaiian export market.
Question 7 of 9
During the early 20th century, how did the "Big Five" corporations maintain political dominance despite the establishment of a territorial legislature?
  • A. By legally banning Native Hawaiians from voting in any local elections.
  • B. By moving all their operations to the mainland US to avoid Hawaiian territorial taxes.
  • C. By bribing the US President to veto any legislation that threatened their monopolies.
  • D. Because rural Asian plantation workers were barred from citizenship, giving disproportionate voting power to white plantation owners.
Question 8 of 9
Why did the "Big Five" sugar corporations eventually change their stance and support Hawaiian statehood in the 1930s?
  • A. The US Congress restricted their access to Filipino labor and passed tariffs favoring mainland sugar producers.
  • B. They realized statehood was the only way to protect themselves from a looming Japanese invasion.
  • C. Native Hawaiian activists threatened a violent revolution if statehood was not achieved.
  • D. They wanted to secure federal funding to transition their plantations from sugar to pineapple.
Question 9 of 9
What was the primary effect of the 1967 Land Reform Act (LRA) in Hawaii?
  • A. It returned 24 percent of Hawaii's total territory to the descendants of Queen Lili’uokalani.
  • B. It successfully reduced the market price of land, making housing affordable for all working-class citizens.
  • C. It forced large landowners to sell residential land to the homeowners leasing it, achieving a more egalitarian distribution of property.
  • D. It nationalized all remaining sugar plantations and redistributed the profits to Native Hawaiians.

Hawai'i — Full Chapter Overview

Hawai'i Summary & Overview

Hawai’i (2019) is a detailed history of the economic forces that have shaped Hawaiian society. Author Sumner La Croix traces the arc of commerce, from traditions first established in the twelfth century by Polynesian colonists to the modern Hawaiian state. Along the way, he examines what has changed and what has stayed the same.

Who Should Listen to Hawai'i?

  • Anyone interested in the dark side of paradise
  • Students of colonialism
  • Labor historians

About the Author: Sumner La Croix

Sumner La Croix is a professor emeritus at the University of Hawai’i-Mānoa and a research fellow with the University of Hawai’i Economic Research Organization. He has published dozens of academic articles on the economic history of Hawaii and East Asia.

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