Kamehameha, << kah `may` hah MAY hah, >> I (1758?-1819), founded the Kingdom of Hawaii. He rose to power through ability and strength. After Kalaniopu’u, the chief of Hawaii, died in 1782, Kamehameha conquered the island. He later won additional victories, climaxed in 1795 by the bloody Battle of Nuuanu Pali on the island of Oahu. Kamehameha used cannons to drive Oahu’s defenders over a cliff near Honolulu. He brought the island of Kauai into the kingdom peacefully in 1810.
Kamehameha greatly increased Hawaii’s foreign trade. He kept alive the old customs and religion of his people, but after his death on May 5, 1819, missionaries spread Christianity throughout the islands. Kamehameha was born in the Kohala district of the island of Hawaii. A statue of him represents Hawaii in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
