The year 1898 marked a significant expansion of U.S. territory into the Pacific with the annexation of Hawaii. This pivotal event underscored the economic intertwining of the islands with the United States and the burgeoning role of America as a dominant power in the Pacific region. Throughout much of the 19th century, Washington policymakers harbored concerns about Hawaii falling under the sway of European empires.
During the 1830s, both Great Britain and France exerted pressure on Hawaii, compelling it to concede treaties that granted them preferential economic advantages. Recognizing the strategic importance of the islands, in 1842, U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster dispatched a formal communication to Hawaiian representatives in Washington. This letter unequivocally affirmed U.S. interests in Hawaii and voiced opposition to any potential annexation by foreign powers. Furthermore, Webster proposed to both Great Britain and France a mutual agreement stipulating that no nation should seek exclusive privileges or pursue further colonization within the Hawaiian Islands. By 1849, the United States and Hawaii solidified their relationship by establishing a treaty of friendship, which laid the groundwork for formal diplomatic relations between the two entities.
Hawaii’s economic landscape was becoming increasingly enmeshed with that of the United States. The islands served as a crucial resupply point for American whaling fleets, fertile ground for American Protestant missionaries, and a burgeoning source of sugar cane production. The economic integration deepened in 1875 with a trade reciprocity treaty, further binding the two nations. This treaty spurred an influx of U.S. sugar plantation owners, who rapidly ascended to positions of economic and political dominance within the islands.
When Queen Liliuokalani sought to reinforce the power of the monarchy, American interests, spearheaded by Samuel Dole, moved to depose her in 1893. A key motivator for the American planters was the belief that a coup, followed by annexation by the United States, would eliminate the threat of crippling tariffs on their sugar exports. President Benjamin Harrison’s administration signaled support for the takeover, deploying sailors from the USS Boston to encircle the royal palace in a show of force. John L. Stevens, the U.S. minister to Hawaii, actively collaborated with the newly formed provisional government.
In 1894, Dole dispatched a delegation to Washington to formally request annexation. However, President Grover Cleveland, the newly inaugurated president, opposed annexation and attempted to reinstate the Queen. In response, Dole declared Hawaii an independent republic. Fueled by the surge of nationalism ignited by the Spanish-American War, the United States ultimately annexed Hawaii in 1898, propelled by the advocacy of President William McKinley. Hawaii transitioned into a U.S. territory in 1900, with Dole assuming the role of its first governor. Factors including racial attitudes and partisan politics within the United States delayed Hawaii’s attainment of statehood. Ultimately, a bipartisan compromise linked Hawaii’s status to that of Alaska, and in 1959, both were admitted into the Union as states.
