July 4, 1776 marked the creation of the United States through the Declaration of Independence. Hawaii proudly celebrates that date as part of our heritage because Hawaii joined the union.

July 4, 1894 marked the creation of the Republic of Hawaii through the publication of its Constitution. At least five delegates to the Constitutional Convention were native Hawaiians; the Constitution was published in both English and Hawaiian; the Speaker of the House was former royalist John Kaulukou.

July 4, 1960 marked the date when the U.S. flag with 50 stars was first officially displayed, by being raised at 12:01 AM at the Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Maryland (where Francis Scott Key had written “The Star Spangled Banner”). Although Hawaii’s statehood was ratified by 94.3% of Hawaii voters and proclaimed by President Eisenhower in 1959, the tradition is to make the date for official display of an updated flag the following July 4.

A webpage provides a description of what Hawaii was like on July 4, 1776; the significance of the creation of the Republic of Hawaii on July 4, 1894 and annexation of Hawaii to the U.S. in 1898. It includes links to the Constitution of the Republic of Hawaii; a political biography of President Sanford B. Dole; photos of the original letters personally signed by emperors, kings, queens, and presidents of 20 nations on 4 continents in 11 languages recognizing the Republic as the legitimate government of Hawaii; a proposed treaty of annexation to the United States written in 1854 by King Kauikeaouli Kamehameha III which failed of the King’s signature by reason of his death; the Morgan Report of February 1894 (an 808-page report of the investigation into the events surrounding the Hawaiian Revolution of 1893, and the alleged role of U.S. peacekeepers in the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani); full text of the Treaty of Annexation between the Republic of Hawaii and the United States of America (1898), and of the resolutions whereby the Republic of Hawaii legislature and the U.S. Congress ratified it; Hawaii Great Statehood Petition of 1954 — 120,000 Signatures Gathered in 2 Weeks On a Petition for Statehood for Hawaii; the Statehood vote count in 1959, broken down by representative districts; The Native Hawaiians Study Commission report of 1983; and other items relevant to the significance of our July 4 holiday. See
http://tinyurl.com/68u7nz