1941: Hawai‘i under martial law; U.S. military takes sacred lands

Japan bombs Pearl Harbor at Honolulu, Hawai‘i. The United States declares war on Japan and enters World War II. The U.S. places the Territory of Hawai‘i under martial law and seizes the island of Kaho‘olawe, a sacred place for Native Hawaiians, for bombing exercises.

The U.S. Navy continues bombing exercises on Kaho‘olawe until the late 1980s, when cleanup begins and plans are made for Native Hawaiian management of the island.

Theme

Land and Water, Native Rights

Region

Hawai‘i