quickly became a favorite destination for captains seeking replenishments for their ships and sailors seeking a holiday in paradise (McDougall 105).
At that time, chiefs ruled Hawaii island by island, holding sway over the land and the people. When a chief died, his property and that of his vassals went up for grabs, leading to an often violent society battling for control of individual islands. British technology and tactics changed that, however, helping King Kamehameha conquer all of the Hawaiian islands but Kauai by 1796 (Dougherty 43). Kamehameha united Hawaii under his rule, and much like any other nation, Hawaii had one voice in its dealings with foreigners. The stability prompted a boom in trade, bringing a host of ships to the islandsÆ harbors (McDougall 156-57).
The Westerners brought more than just goods: They also brought disease and potent weapons. Both had a dramatic effect on the Hawaiians, whose population fell from approximately 250,000 in 1778 to 130,000 in 1820. Kamehameha died in 1819, succeeded by his wife Kaahumanu and his son Liholiho (by another woman). They quickly abolished kapu (taboo), the ôpsychic cagesö that governed behavior. That opened the door for another American import: religion (McDougall 178). American missionaries gained a foothold by converting Kaahumanu, and under her leadership, Christian values replaced kapu as the islandsÆ moral code (McDougall 182-83). Most of the change proved superficial, and to what extent Christianity actually took hold is debatable.
By the 1840s, HawaiiÆs strategic value had made it the object of the Western powersÆ colonial desires. The Russians earlier had made a half-hearted attempt, but by the 1840s the competition for Hawaii centered around Britain, France, the United States. Both the French and the Americans used the threat of war to force the Hawaiians to sign treaties favorable to them. The British went further, training their ...