Chapter 10 – King Kamehameha III

The reign of Kamehameha III, born Kauikeaouli, would turn out to be the longest in the history of Hawai‘i’s monarchy. It lasted for thirty years from 1825 to the end of 1854. Kauikeaouli, who in 1825 was twelve years old, became Kamehameha III, but it was still Ka‘ahumanu who, as kuhina nui, did the ruling for the next eight years. Next to Kamehameha I, she is thought to be the most important ruler of Hawai‘i. After her death in 1832, Kīna‘u, daughter of Kamehameha the Great and a half sister of Kauikeaouli, but of lesser rank, helped him rule. Her two sons became Kamehameha IV (Alexander Liholiho) and Kamehameha V (Lota Kapuāiwa).

By 1834, the first Pacific Island newspaper, Ka Lama Hawaii, was published by missionaries. It came out of Lahainaluna, Maui, and was written in Hawaiian, like most of the early island newspapers. The presence of the Protestant Church had continued to grow in Hawai‘i. French Catholic missionaries came to Hawai‘i but eventually left largely due to the Protestant presence and the fact that some thought the Catholics’ use of statues was too similar to Hawaiian use of carved idols from the time of the kapu system.