Colonialism In Hawaii

On January 17th, 1893, a group of 13 men, primarily consisting of white American businessmen, overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy. Hawaii’s last queen, Queen Liliʻuokalani, surrendered peacefully so as to avoid bloodshed. This event led to the end of the Kingdom of Hawaii. The Kingdom of Hawaii was established in 1795. During the nineteenth century, traders, planters, and missionaries from America and Europe had begun to make a home on the islands. King Kamehameha I (1758-1819) welcomed American traders and helped them develop a prosperous trade between Hawaii and China, which native Hawaiians also profited from. However, greed soon took over, and Americans wanted more than trade. In the 1830s, the first Americans began to buy land and establish sugar plantations on the islands. By the 1840s, Americans planters had settled all across the islands. Growing sugar for export quickly became the largest source of revenue for the Hawaiian economy. No matter how much white businessmen benefited from Hawaii’s economy, they were never satisfied. The Hawaiian League was unhappy with King Kalakaua’s rule and used threats of violence to coerce the king into signing a new constitution. This constitution, called the Bayonet Constitution, …show more content…
Next, they seeked annexation. Things did not go as planned, however. President Grover Cleveland refused to annex Hawaii, believing that the way Americans took over the islands was unjust. Queen Lili’uokalani protested the annexation and filed a diplomatic protest with the United States Department of State. Additionally, The Hui Aloha Aina for Women and the Hui Aloha Aina for Men petitioned the United States government in 1897, hoping the government would decide against the annexation if they knew that most native Hawaiians were opposed. This petition was signed by 21,269 native Hawaiians. Despite their efforts, Hawaii was annexed to the United States in 1898 and officially became the 50th state in