US Event: Annexation of Hawaii

America's annexation of Hawaii in 1898 extended U.S. territory into the Pacific. For most of the 1800s, the United States was concerned that Hawaii might become part of a European nation's empire. During the 1830s, Britain and France forced Hawaii into giving them economic privileges. In 1842, Secretary of State Daniel Webster sent a letter to Hawaiian agents in Washington stating that the United States had an interest in securing exclusive trading privileges with Hawaii. He also proposed cutting off any further colonization by any other country. In 1849, the United States and Hawaii concluded a treaty that began years of peaceful relations between the countries. Hawaii became a key part of the United States' economy, as it was a perfect spot to harbor whaling ships and was a new source of sugarcane production. An 1875 trade treaty brought the countries even closer together by allowing plantation owners from the United States to dominate the politics and economy of Hawaii. When Queen Liliuokalani moved to strengthen the monarchy, Americans under the leadership of Sanford Dole expelled her in 1893. President Benjamin Harrison encouraged the takeover, and sent sailors from the USS Boston to Hawaii. The U.S. ambassador to Hawaii, John L. Stevens, worked closely with the new government. In 1894, President Cleveland, who opposed annexation, sought to restore the queen. Dole, who sought annexation, was disappointed, but declared Hawaii an independent republic. Nevertheless, spurred by the nationalism brought about by the Spanish-American War and the urging of President William McKinley, the United States annexed Hawaii in 1898. Dole became the governor of Hawaii when it was made a territory in 1900. Hawaii would become a state in 1959. The United States treatment of Hawaii is similar to the Britain's treatment of India. Both territories were ruled by their mother countries under a form of economic imperialism. Also, both territories experienced drastic political changes while they were being controlled.