HAWAII AND THE AGE

OF IMPERIALISM
By: Katie Rego, Jesse
Boyland, Kevin Perin, and
Greg Holmes
 HOW DID THE U.S. GET
INVOLVED?

• The U.S. first got involved in 1875 when a treaty was signed between the U.S. and
Hawaii. It permitted US access to the Hawaiian sugarcane market.
• On January 16 th, 1893, the U.S. diplomatic and military personnel conspired with a small
group of people to overthrow the current Hawaiian government.
• A treaty of annexation was sent to the U.S. on the same year, but President Cleveland
denied it due to a notice that the revolution was illegally intervened by the U.S.
• Instead, the U.S. waited 5 years until they set up a second treaty of annexation with the
new Hawaiian government.
• On July 7 th, 1898, the U.S. annexed Hawaii due to war needs.
 MOTIVES

1. The theory of maintaining the neutrality of the islands and their

independence

2. Would not let any European nations annex or control the islands

3. To provide a naval base for the U.S.

4. To open up new trading ports

5. To become one of the world’s powers

and control the pacific

 HOW AMERICA JUSTIFIED THEIR
ACTIONS

• The queen of Hawaii, Liliuokalani, wanted to make the monarchy in the

country larger. As she pushed, the country began to fall apart

• US claimed they got involved in order to establish democracy in Hawaii and

restore the country
 REACTION OF THE LOCAL
POPULATION

• When the final treaty was put into action the natives of Hawaii
were very against it
• 29,000 people signed a petition to make there be a vote on the
treaty, three times, each failed.
• By 1900 a lot of natives became homeless.
•Americans populating Hawaii for free import tariffs
•The American Navy was populating
 Final Result

•July 7th, 1898, the U.S. annexed Hawaii

•August 1959, Hawaii became a state
 MAFIA DON

•The United States acted more as a Mafia Don because they did it for
the better of America
-Good farming land
-Great naval position
-Expansion
•The natives of Hawaii did not want to be annexed by the U.S.
-Signing petitions for there to be a vote on the
annexation of Hawaii
 BENEFITS

•Imperializing Hawaii was beneficial to their economy

•1875, Sugar became the basis for Hawaii’s economy by opening trade
with the US

•1887, Hawaii allowed the US to

build a naval base (Pearl Harbor)

•Removed Hawaii from a monarchy,

under the reign of Queen Liliuokalani

 Works Cited

Edwards, Rebecca. "1896:U.S. Foreign Relations." Http://projects.vassar.edu.Vassar

College, 2000. Web. 8 Oct. 2010.
<http://projects.vassar.edu/1896/foreignrelations.html>.

"Hawaiian Kingdom - The U.S. Occupation." Hawaiian Kingdom Government - Welcome - E

Komo Mai. Web. 08 Oct. 2010.
<http://www.hawaiiankingdom.org/us-occupation.shtml>.

Martin, Alexandria. "Hawaii’s Statehood ." Hawaii’s Statehood . N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct
2010. <http://www2.fiu.edu/~harveyb/hawaiianstatehood1.html