The following is a timeline of the key events in Hawaii's statehood history:
* 1778: Captain James Cook arrives in Hawaii.
* 1810: The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) sends its first missionaries to Hawaii.
* 1820: King Kamehameha II abolishes the traditional Hawaiian kapu system and adopts a written constitution.
* 1840: The first sugar plantation is established in Hawaii.
* 1852: The Hawaiian Organic Act is passed by the United States Congress, granting Hawaii limited self-government.
* 1893: A group of American businessmen and politicians overthrow the Hawaiian monarchy and establish a provisional government.
* 1898: The United States annexes Hawaii.
* 1941: The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, bringing the United States into World War II.
* 1946: President Harry Truman signs a proclamation admitting Hawaii as the 50th state of the United States.
* 1959: Hawaii becomes a state of the United States.
Hawaii's statehood was a long and complex process that was shaped by a variety of factors, including the influence of American missionaries and businessmen, the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, and the events of World War II. Hawaii's statehood is a reminder of the complex history of the United States and its relationship with the rest of the world.