A significant 50th anniversary took place this past summer: The 50th anniversary of Statehood for Hawaii. But, unlike Alaska’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of its Statehood some months earlier, in Hawaii there were no gala parties or grand commemorations. Instead, the anniversary passed with little more than a sober conference on Hawaii’s place in the modern world.
The reason for the low-key approach is that there exists lingering discomfort with the U.S. takeover of the islands in 1893 and with the commercial exploitation of Hawaiian culture that followed Statehood in 1959.
Still, there is no question that this is a milestone worthy of consideration. We have now been a union of 50 states for 50 years.
Statehood for both Alaska and Hawaii in an eight-month period in 1959 occurred while we were a child, just learning how the United States grew from 13 colonies. As a result, we got the false impression that adding states was something that was done regularly. Only as years passed with no more new states did we begin to gain the appropriate perspective.
The reason for the low-key approach is that there exists lingering discomfort with the U.S. takeover of the islands in 1893 and with the commercial exploitation of Hawaiian culture that followed Statehood in 1959.
Still, there is no question that this is a milestone worthy of consideration. We have now been a union of 50 states for 50 years.
Statehood for both Alaska and Hawaii in an eight-month period in 1959 occurred while we were a child, just learning how the United States grew from 13 colonies. As a result, we got the false impression that adding states was something that was done regularly. Only as years passed with no more new states did we begin to gain the appropriate perspective.
