Stephen Caputo
5/6/16
Period 3
Annexation of Hawaii
Annexing the Islands
The annexation of Hawaii, some were for it and some were against it. The many benefits of the annexation of Hawaii also came with plenty of awful downfalls. It is still argued today whether the United States did the right thing in annexing them or if it was inhumane and illegal for them to do so. Was annexing Hawaii the right choice?
In 1893 the islands of Hawaii were being ruled by Queen Lili'uokalani, the last monarch to rule the islands. Also in 1893 a group of pineapple and sugar growing businessmen who were backed by the American minister to Hawaii, John Leavitt Stevens, and armed U.S. forces overthrew Queen Lili'uokalani. Without presidential approval the businessmen and marines stormed the islands, imprisoned Queen Lili’uokalani and seized almost two million acres of land. There was talk and conspiracy that Hawaii was going to be annexed by the United State. Those businessmen then forced a provisional government on the islands and raised the American Flag. Benjamin Harrison, the U.S. president at the time, submitted a treaty to the senate to annex Hawaii, that was near the end of his term in office. The new president of the United States was Grover Cleveland, an anti-imperialist withdrew the treaty “for the purpose of re-examination” (Grover Cleveland) and put back the Hawaiian flag. However, Cleveland's recommendation to bring back the monarchy in Hawaii was rejected. In 1894, Sanford Dole began his pineapple business in Hawaii. He declared himself president of the Republic of Hawaii, but he did not have a popular vote. This government found Queen Lili’uokalani guilty of treason and they sentenced her to five years of labor and a fine of $5,000. The sentence was not acted upon but the queen was placed under house arrest in Iolani Palace. There were no more efforts to annex Hawaii until 1898 when the United States got involved in the Spanish American War. The U.S wanted a mid-pacific naval base and fueling station. The Hawaiian Islands were the best choice for this base. William McKinley, the new U.S. president called for a Joint Resolution to annex Hawaii. The Joint Resolution only needs a majority vote from both The House of Representatives and The Senate. It was on July 12, 1898 that the Joint Resolution worked and Hawaii was officially annexed by the United States. In the 1950’s more than 93% of Hawaiians wanted Hawaii to become a part of the union. Hawaiians wanted to participate directly in electing their own governor and they wanted to have a say in national elections that already affected their lives. Hawaiians also felt that …show more content…
First and most importantly, the U.S. wanted control of Pu'uloa (Pearl Harbor). American control over Hawaii was valuable for the defense of the west coast of the United States. Having control of the islands would also make the U.S. very strong in trade. They also wanted to have control of all the sugar production and other resource production that took place in Hawaii. This would really help the economy and provide major economic growth. Finally the U.S wanted Hawaii so no other power, like the British Empire or Japan, would take it. The annexation of Hawaii caused many benefits and negative consequences for the Hawaiian people. Hawaiians got protection for being an American territory. The United States Government would protect Hawaiians from any other countries. Protection wasn’t he only benefit, now sugar plantation owners did not have to pay a sugar tariff on imported sugar because it was no longer considered an import. Not having to pay the tariff caused a boost in the economy for Hawaii. These benefits did come with a problem. The native Hawaiian people had to give up their land and even worse they had to give up their Hawaiian …show more content…
We maintain the island for the people and continue to work it as he had” (ABC News). Bruce and his brother Keith are the current owners of the island. Bruce also talks about how during the polio epidemic it never spread to their island: “My uncle wanted to protect the residents here from the epidemic and it was forbidden to come out here unless you had a doctor's certificate, and there was a two-week quarantine” (ABC
5/6/16
Period 3
Annexation of Hawaii
Annexing the Islands
The annexation of Hawaii, some were for it and some were against it. The many benefits of the annexation of Hawaii also came with plenty of awful downfalls. It is still argued today whether the United States did the right thing in annexing them or if it was inhumane and illegal for them to do so. Was annexing Hawaii the right choice?
In 1893 the islands of Hawaii were being ruled by Queen Lili'uokalani, the last monarch to rule the islands. Also in 1893 a group of pineapple and sugar growing businessmen who were backed by the American minister to Hawaii, John Leavitt Stevens, and armed U.S. forces overthrew Queen Lili'uokalani. Without presidential approval the businessmen and marines stormed the islands, imprisoned Queen Lili’uokalani and seized almost two million acres of land. There was talk and conspiracy that Hawaii was going to be annexed by the United State. Those businessmen then forced a provisional government on the islands and raised the American Flag. Benjamin Harrison, the U.S. president at the time, submitted a treaty to the senate to annex Hawaii, that was near the end of his term in office. The new president of the United States was Grover Cleveland, an anti-imperialist withdrew the treaty “for the purpose of re-examination” (Grover Cleveland) and put back the Hawaiian flag. However, Cleveland's recommendation to bring back the monarchy in Hawaii was rejected. In 1894, Sanford Dole began his pineapple business in Hawaii. He declared himself president of the Republic of Hawaii, but he did not have a popular vote. This government found Queen Lili’uokalani guilty of treason and they sentenced her to five years of labor and a fine of $5,000. The sentence was not acted upon but the queen was placed under house arrest in Iolani Palace. There were no more efforts to annex Hawaii until 1898 when the United States got involved in the Spanish American War. The U.S wanted a mid-pacific naval base and fueling station. The Hawaiian Islands were the best choice for this base. William McKinley, the new U.S. president called for a Joint Resolution to annex Hawaii. The Joint Resolution only needs a majority vote from both The House of Representatives and The Senate. It was on July 12, 1898 that the Joint Resolution worked and Hawaii was officially annexed by the United States. In the 1950’s more than 93% of Hawaiians wanted Hawaii to become a part of the union. Hawaiians wanted to participate directly in electing their own governor and they wanted to have a say in national elections that already affected their lives. Hawaiians also felt that …show more content…
First and most importantly, the U.S. wanted control of Pu'uloa (Pearl Harbor). American control over Hawaii was valuable for the defense of the west coast of the United States. Having control of the islands would also make the U.S. very strong in trade. They also wanted to have control of all the sugar production and other resource production that took place in Hawaii. This would really help the economy and provide major economic growth. Finally the U.S wanted Hawaii so no other power, like the British Empire or Japan, would take it. The annexation of Hawaii caused many benefits and negative consequences for the Hawaiian people. Hawaiians got protection for being an American territory. The United States Government would protect Hawaiians from any other countries. Protection wasn’t he only benefit, now sugar plantation owners did not have to pay a sugar tariff on imported sugar because it was no longer considered an import. Not having to pay the tariff caused a boost in the economy for Hawaii. These benefits did come with a problem. The native Hawaiian people had to give up their land and even worse they had to give up their Hawaiian …show more content…
We maintain the island for the people and continue to work it as he had” (ABC News). Bruce and his brother Keith are the current owners of the island. Bruce also talks about how during the polio epidemic it never spread to their island: “My uncle wanted to protect the residents here from the epidemic and it was forbidden to come out here unless you had a doctor's certificate, and there was a two-week quarantine” (ABC