<Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> Hawaii is one of four U.S. states--apart from the original thirteen, along with the Vermont Republic (1791), the Republic of Texas (1845), and the California Republic (1846)--that were independent nations prior to statehood . Along with Texas, Hawaii had formal, international diplomatic recognition as a nation . </P> <P> The Kingdom of Hawai ʻi was sovereign from 1810 until 1893 when the monarchy was overthrown by resident American and European capitalists and landholders . Hawaii was an independent republic from 1894 until August 12, 1898, when it officially became a territory of the United States . Hawaii was admitted as a U.S. state on August 21, 1959 . </P> <P> Based on archaeological evidence, the earliest habitation of the Hawaiian Islands dates to around 300 CE, probably by Polynesian settlers from the Marquesas Islands . A second wave of migration from Raiatea and Bora Bora took place in the 11th century . The date of the human discovery and habitation of the Hawaiian Islands is the subject of academic debate . Some archaeologists and historians think it was a later wave of immigrants from Tahiti around 1000 CE who introduced a new line of high chiefs, the kapu system, the practice of human sacrifice, and the building of heiau . This later immigration is detailed in Hawaiian mythology (mo ʻolelo) about Pa ʻao . Other authors say there is no archaeological or linguistic evidence for a later influx of Tahitian settlers and that Pa ʻao must be regarded as a myth . </P>

When did hawaii become a part of the united states