Hawaii became the 50th and most recent state to join the United States.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Hawaii Admission Act on March 18, 1959. Hawaii entered the Union on August 21, 1959, after voters approved statehood in a referendum. Its admission followed Alaska’s entry as the 49th state earlier that year.
Hawaii is an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, far from the contiguous United States. The state consists of eight main islands and many smaller islands, reefs, and atolls. Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, is the state capital and largest city.
Hawaii’s path to statehood followed a complex political history. It was an independent kingdom, a republic, a U.S. territory, and eventually a state. Statehood debates included questions about geography, political representation, culture, and the legacy of the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Hawaii is often confused with Alaska as the newest state, but Alaska entered first on January 3, 1959.