Annexing Hawaii (C) Eric Herber

          During the 1800s, the American trade was increasing between Asia. In result, American ships began looking for ports where they could resupply and refuel if they had to. Hawaii was known to be a good rest stop between Asia and the U.S. By the early 1820s missionaries from the East coast began to settle in Hawaii once they found that sugarcane grew well on the islands, and by the mid-1800s, businessmen had made many plantations there. Everything looked smooth for the plantations until a massive recession struck in 1872, dampening the economy. At that point, the United States signed a treaty exempting Hawaiian sugar from tariffs. The treaty led to an up rise of the economy and a boom in the sugar industry. Then in 1890, Congress passed a new tariff that gave grants to U.S. sugar producers, making the price of Hawaiian sugar much higher than American sugar. Since the Hawaiians couldn’t sell much sugar, the only way to increase sales, and the economy, was to become part of the United States.

            One year later, Queen Liliuokalani stepped down from the Hawaiian throne. Unhappy with the American influences on her home land, the Queen tried implementing a new constitution that would return her back to the throne. In response to the proposal of adding a new constitution, a group of planters attempted to overpower the Queen, and with the help of marines from the USS Boston, the Queen did not implement the new constitution and stepped down from power. The new leaders of Hawaii asked the United States to annex their land, but President Cleveland strongly opposed imperialism and refused to annex Hawaii. Hearing this, the new leaders waited until President Cleveland left office and eventually were annexed in 1898.