1841: Native Hawaiian workers mistreated on sugar plantations

Anglo-American businessmen begin to shift the native agricultural economy to a plantation system of growing crops for export. Native Hawaiians object to the destruction of natural habitat that is home to native species of plants and animals so important to Native Hawaiian food, culture, and medicine. Some Native Hawaiians take work on sugar plantations, but many leave because they are treated harshly. Plantation owners begin recruiting workers from Asian countries.

Theme

Land and Water

Region

Hawai‘i