Henry ʻŌpūkahaʻia played a pivotal role in inspiring the missionary presence in Hawai‘i. His avid embrace of Christianity, told in the best-selling Memoirs of Henry Obookiah, created a compelling vision of what the missionaries could accomplish in these far-off lands.
Kamehameha I died in May 1819, in Kamakahonu, Hawai‘i. Early on, the king had named his son, Liholiho, successor. But two powerful women – Ka‘ahumanu and Keōpūolani, both his widow – would demand new freedoms, igniting a struggle that toppled the ancient religion.
Faced with declining revenues for its global missions, ABCFM founded the Foreign Mission School in Cornwall, Connecticut, in 1816 as a way to proselytize at home and to boost donations.This boarding school aimed to educate non-Christian boys to become missionaries in their homelands.
The second exhibit of Eia Hawai‘i: 1819 – 1841 follows the journey of the Thaddeus and explores the first years...
On October 23, 1819, the Pioneer Company of fourteen Protestant missionaries, five of their children and four Hawaiian men...
Anchored in Kailua Bay, the passengers of the Thaddeus waited for permission to disembark, entertaining visits on board and making...
After a week, Liholiho conveyed his decision that the missionaries could remain in Hawai‘i for a year, though directed them...
The Thaddeus anchored outside Honolulu harbor and sent a delegation to meet with Francisco de Paula Marin, a Spanish Catholic...
A grand feast was held to commemorate the death of Kamehameha and the missionaries were invited to participate. During April,...
Samuel Ruggles and Samuel Whitney accompanied George Prince Humehume home to Kaua‘i, where he was welcomed with great emotion by...