Hawai'i History Day: Primary Sources from the Hawai'i Congressional Papers Collection: Home

This guide features a selection of primary sources from the Hawai‘i Congressional Papers Collection that relate to each year’s Hawaiʻ History Day theme (click the green tabs above to navigate). Some of these documents may spark ideas and help you to generate questions as you start developing your project!

To learn more about our collections, which include the papers Senator Hiram L. Fong, Representative Thomas P. Gill, Senator Spark M. Matsunaga, Representative Ed Case, Representative Patricia F. Saiki, Representative Neil Abercrombie, Senator Daniel Akaka, and Senator Daniel K. Inouye, please visit our website.

The Hawaiʻi Congressional Papers Collection (HCPC) comprises the archives of Hawaiʻi delegates to the U.S. Congress from statehood in 1959 to the present. Collections include letters, photographs, speeches, memos, reports, schedules, and other documents created in the course of the members’ work, as well as material relating to the members’ campaigns and pre- and post-Congress lives. These collections offer a window into the legislative process and into the political views of members of Congress and their constituents. 

The topics that are best documented in the collection are the issues that are most important to the members and to Hawai‘i. These include

• Agricultural and maritime issues
• Transportation
• The Armed Services
• Legislation relating to Native Hawaiian communities
• Civil rights issues, including redress for Japanese Americans interned during WWII

The Hawai‘i Congressional Papers Collection is located in the Hamilton Library at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. It is open to all researchers. (Please review the latest information about access to the archives during the fall 2020 semester before planning a visit.)

Doing research in the Archives is different from finding books in a library. Identifying and reviewing archival material takes patience and persistence, so it’s important to start as early as you can!

If you think you might like to do research in the Congressional Papers Collection, email me (link above) with a description of your topic, and I’d be happy to see if our collections contain material that would support your research.

Please note that my access to the collections--and therefore my ability to assist researchers--may be impacted by COVID-19 closures.