In 1898, the United States formally annexed Hawaii, a chain of eight South Pacific islands. But what were the islands’ cultural and political history prior to becoming the 50th U.S. state? And what factors led to the islands’ eventual colonization?
The Invisible History of Hawaii in Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants”
“The Descendants,” directed by Alexander Payne, opens with a voice-over by protagonist Matt King (played by George Clooney), a wealthy Oahu lawyer, about how everyone assumes that Hawaii is a paradise.