Hawaii Statehood

On August 21, 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the proclamation that welcomed Hawaii as the 50th state of the union. If you want to see how this historic event was reported in the New York Times or even read the actual proclamation:

1. Go to the SFPL Home Page and select Articles & Databases. You will need a San Francisco Public Library card to get into the databases from outside the library.

2. Select the New York Times Historical database.

3. In the Advanced Search mode, enter the keywords Hawaii AND statehood.

4. Select Date range: on this date. Enter 08/22/1959.

5. Here’s a citation for an article:
Hawaii becomes the 50th state; New Flag shown. By W.H. Lawrence. New York Times, August 22, 1959, pg. 1

Here’s an excerpt:

“Hawaii was officially proclaimed as the fiftieth state of the United States today by President Eisenhower at bipartisan White House ceremonies.

The Presidential action was followed immediately by the unfurling of a new fifty-star flag, which will not become official until next July 4. The thirteen alternate red and white stripes remain unchanged, but the stars on a field of blue are arranged in nine alternate staggered rows of six and five stars each.”