For my Social Studies 10 students...

So looking at the Hawaiian flag (Ka Hae Hawai'i) it is easy to think that Hawai'i was once controlled by Great Britain. Check out the article on the flag here.

Today we got side tracked talking about the 13th - 15th Amendments of the US Constitution. We discussed the migration of free African-Americans from California to Salt Spring Island here in BC (Nine slaves bought their freedom and arrived at Vesuvius in 1857). Then we talked about Salt Spring's Hawaiian community (known as the Kanakas) and things dissolved when we found out that Hawai'i was once a part of the British Empire - but only from February to November in 1843! Hawaii's connection to BC was even further strengthened when a Hawaiian consulate opened up in Victoria in 1859. So to clear up any confusion....

Queen Lili'uokalani at Queen Victoria's Jubilee

Although Captain Cook arrived in 1778, the British influence in Hawai'i started with the visits of Captain George Vancouver in 1792. Hawai'i was only under British control for nine months in 1843 and control over all of the Hawaiian Islands was restored to the Hawaiian monarchy in November of that year.

Queen Liliukalani was over fifty years old when she became leader of Hawai'i in 1891. She was a nationalist who believed that the Hawaiian people should rule their own country without outside interference. On behalf of American plantation holders such as Sanford B. Dole, armed U.S. troops invaded Hawaiian soil and forced Queen Lili'uokalani to abdicate the Hawaiian throne (kingdom) in 1893. The islands officially became the Republic of Hawai'i and a territory of the United States in 1898. It is important to note that Queen Victoria officially recognized the Republic of Hawai'i under the leadership of Dole even though she had close ties to the Hawaiian monarchy. It took until 1959 for Hawai'i to be admitted as the 50th state in the United States.

Check out Hawaiian History
Check out the following articles on the possibility of the Turks and Caicos becoming a part of Canada:
Turks and Caicos move to join Canada
On line petition to make the Turks and Caicos part of Canada
CBC news on the Turks and Caicos joining Canada