Profile America — Sunday, July 7: On this date 115 years ago, the U.S. began absorbing an island paradise en route to making it a treasured part of the nation, as President William McKinley signed a resolution annexing Hawaii.
A short time later, Congress made Hawaii an incorporated territory of the U.S., which it remained until achieving statehood in 1959.
For most Americans on the mainland, Hawaii is the ultimate vacation, with its lovely scenery and average annual temperature of around 72 degrees. Tourism, defense, and raising sugar cane and pineapples are the mainstays of the economy.
Almost 1.4 million people call Hawaii home — about half of them Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander. You can find more facts about America’s people, places, and economy from the American Community Survey at www.census.gov .
