Ever since I was little, I always turned my parents down when they gave me the opportunity to go to Hawaii. I made up some stupid excuse, none of which I can remember. I don't know why I did it, either. My father's side of the family has all lived there at one time or another, and not seeing what could have shaped my current family in my current opinion was asinine on my part. Why didn't I go to find this? That all changed, however, in the summer of 1999, when I visited Hawaii for the first time. One thing interested me very much, and I have chosen to write this paper after it. It is the Hawaiian monarchy.

I didn't know it until my later years, but my aunt was a caretaker at Queen Emma's Palace on

I remember visiting Queen Emma's palace on Oahu with my parents. We drove up in our rental car, a Ford Taurus I believe, and I was amazed to see how small the palace was. It was no bigger than two classrooms, with a new gift shop added to the side. We entered the palace, and were stunned to find not Hawaiian-style furnishings, but rather traditional Victorian decor. I was captivated. I had no clue that the royal family of Hawaii would live in such small housing. I had many questions for the guide, most of which I can't remember. The one thing I do remember, however, was the story about Queen Emma's son and the extravagant toys he had from Europe (mechanical toys, like hand-made stereoscopes, etc.), even though he only lived four years. It reminded me of myself, when my mother would go away for business and bring back souvenirs of the place. This is another item that interested me on this topic.

Few people even know that there was a monarchy in Hawaii. They think, "Oh, it's just a state." The truth to that is much greater, however. The general public doesn't realize that before Hawaii became a state in 1959 the little chain of islands in the Pacific was really a commonplace of trade, wealth, and all the happenings that come with a royal family. Hawaii's first king was Kamehameha I, who lived from 1758* to May 8, 1819. Although not born a king, Kamehameha, a ruthless fighter, and his cousin were appointed co-rulers of the island of Hawaii. After war, Kamehameha became the soul ruler in 1792 and went on to unite Lanai, Molokai and Maui

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Approximate Word count = 1052
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)