Every June 11th, King Kamehameha day is celebrated in Hawaii. The holiday pays tribute to Kamehamemeha I also known as Kamehameha the Great. Kamehameha was the first king to rule over all of the Hawaiian islands and the creator of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Kamehameha was born in the late 1750s in the Kohala area of the Big Island. By 1790, he ruled over the entire Big Island with a vision of expanding his reign to the rest of the island chain. Over a period between 1790 and 1795, he mobilized a large military force bolstered by superior tactics and western weaponry to conquer the islands of Maui, Molokai and Oahu. He found the rest of the island chain more elusive. Numerous attempts to take the islands of Kauai and Niihau were rebuffed before a combination of coercion and the threat of iminent force compelled the King of Kauai to negotiate and become Kamehameha's vasal.
By 1810, he had established the Hawaiian Kingdom. His rule was renowned for its unified law and protection of non-combatants during warfare. He developed a balanced foreign policy that helped maintain the island chain's independence while many island nations of the Pacific were being colonialized. His ability to balance the introduction of modern influences with Hawaiian traditions helped establish a foundation that allowed the Kingdom maintain its sovereignty throughout most of the 19th century. The Hawaiian monarchy persisted well past his death in 1819 until the islands were annexed by the United States in 1898.
Here are some other online resources on Kamehameha:
Kamehameha Editorial in Today's Maui News
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