Historical Research Methods

Why does international recognition of the Hawaiian Kingdom matter to historical analysis?

• It proves Hawaii was a U.S. state in 1843
• It establishes context for its independent political status before annexation
• It makes the 1959 referendum irrelevant in every respect
• It means no foreign diplomacy occurred

Why should historians separate the 1893 overthrow from the 1898 annexation?

• They occurred on the same day
• They were distinct political and legal events
• The overthrow happened after statehood
• Annexation involved no governmental action

Which research design better evaluates competing accounts of Hawaii’s 1898 annexation?

• Use one tourism brochure as definitive
• Compare congressional records with Native Hawaiian petitions and contemporary documents
• Exclude Indigenous viewpoints
• Ignore authorship and dates

Which historical distinction prevents oversimplifying Hawaii’s 1959 statehood?

• Hawaii had always been an incorporated U.S. state
• Statehood occurred in 1893
• The Hawaiian Kingdom began after 1959
• Statehood and the earlier loss of kingdom sovereignty are separate events

Why should Native Hawaiian accounts be included in scholarship on annexation?

• They provide essential perspectives on political consequences and cultural continuity
• They are interchangeable with every visitor’s opinion
• They replace the need to assess evidence
• They concern only modern tourism

Which source characteristics matter when analyzing a historical legal document?

• Authorship, legal status, audience, and historical context
• Only the paper’s color
• Only how often it is shared online
• Only its word count

How should researchers evaluate differing accounts of early Hawaiian settlement?

• Compare archaeological evidence, oral traditions, and later written interpretations carefully
• Assume all accounts are identical
• Treat European arrival as the first settlement
• Discard all dating evidence

What is wrong with beginning Hawaii’s history only at European contact?

• It correctly captures the first human presence
• It is required by archaeological methods
• It erases earlier Indigenous settlement and societies
• It includes every Polynesian voyage