Answer to Question #313097 in History for lizi

Question

What do the editors mean when they reference that "Little Rock was the white supremacists' Gettysburg and Hawaii is their Appomattox." Do you think this ended up being true? Explain.

Answer 1

In 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state in the United States. Previous attempts at statehood were met with opposition both by some in Hawaii and in Congress. The Hawaiian Admission Act occurred during the Civil Rights Movement when minorities were campaigning for greater rights. Writing in August 1959, the editors of WORLDVIEW Magazine saw this as a victory in the fight towards greater racial tolerance and hoped that Hawaii would set an example of racial harmony for the entire nation.