Hawaii
State Flag HI
The 50th state, admitted 1959
Before the English explorer Captain James Cook came to the Hawaiian Islands HI
in 1776, the Hawaiians did not use flags. They instead displayed
distinctive marks. In 1794, King Kamehameha of Hawaii was given a British
flag by Captain George Vancouver. It is believed that he was the first to
raise a flag in Hawaii. Until 1816, Hawaii was under British
protection, which is the reason for the current Hawaii state flag's prominent
display of the British Union Jack. But the red, white, and blue stripes
were added to distinguish it from Britain and to express the island's desire to
be independent. The Hawaii flag now contains eight stripes, representing
the eight main island of the Hawaiian chain. Hawaii State Flag
Adopted: 1894 (when Hawaii was still a republic)
