Admission Day or Statehood Day is a holiday in the State of
Hawaiʻi. While Hawaiʻi was the 50th
State to be admitted into the union on August 21, 1959, Statehood is celebrated annually on the third Friday in August
to commemorate the anniversary of the 1959 admission of Hawaiʻi into the Union.
On June 27, 1959, Hawaiʻi registered voters voted on three
propositions related to Statehood (there was a 93.6% voter turnout for the
General election:)
Shall the following propositions, as set forth in Public Law 86-3
entitled "An Act to provide for the admission of the State of Hawaii into
the Union" be adopted?
1. Shall Hawaii immediately be admitted into the Union as a State?
Yes - 132,773 (94.3%)
No - 7,971 (5.7%)
2. The boundaries of the State of Hawaii shall be as prescribed in the
Act of Congress approved March 18, 1959, and all claims of this State to any
areas of land or sea outside the boundaries so prescribed are hereby
irrevocably relinquished to the United States.
Yes - 132,194 (94.5%)
No - 7,654 (5.5%)
3. All provisions of the Act of Congress approved March 18, 1959,
reserving rights or powers to the United States, as well as those prescribing
the terms or conditions of the grants of lands or other property therein made
to the State of Hawaii are consented by said State and its people.
Yes - 132,281 (94.6%)
No - 7,582 (5.4%)
President Eisenhower called it "truly an historic occasion"
because for the second time within a year a new state had been admitted.
"All forty-nine states will join in welcoming the new one -
Hawaii - to this Union," he said. "We will wish for her prosperity,
security, happiness and a growing closer relationship with all of the other
states."
"We know that she is ready to do her part to make this Union a
stronger nation - a stronger people than it was before because of her presence
as a full sister to the other forty-nine states. So all of us say to her, 'good
luck.'" (nytimes-com)
"Facts and Figures" (August 1959)
1959 - US Population - 177,829,628
2010 - US Population - 308,745,538
1959 - Hawaiʻi Population - 585,000
2010 - Hawaiʻi Population - 1,360,301
1959 - Hawaiʻi Registered Voters - 183,118
2010 - Hawaiʻi Registered Voters - 690,748
1959 - Hawaiʻi General Election voter turnout - 171,383 (93.6%)
2010 - Hawaiʻi General Election voter turnout - 293,016 (55.8%)
1959 - Average Cost of new House $ 12,400
2012 - Average Cost of House $664,000 (Oʻahu)
1959 - Median Family Income $
6,366
2010 - Median Family Income $66,420
1959 - Cost of a gallon of Gas $0.25
2012 - Cost of a gallon of Gas $4.16
© 2012 Hoʻokuleana LLC
© 2012 Hoʻokuleana LLC
Another wonderful submission Peter. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested in how many of the Native Hawaiians were registered voters at the time of this proposition. Furthermore, if it were voted on today, I'd be very interested in how many of the state's citizens (Native or not) would vote yes.
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