Section 2 - The United States Takes Hawaii

Mahan’s 3 Part Plan unfolding

Independent kingdom in the Pacific Ocean (1810 – King Kamehameha)• Since 1790s, American merchants had

stopped there on way to China and East India• Missionaries - Christian schools

and churchesMisinterpreted the Hawaiian Culture – believing that living in a paradise had kept them from progressing

• Then came the sugar merchants (Economic Opportunity)…• Who do you think the first and

most successful American company in Hawaii was?

Hawaii

• In mid 19th century – American-owned sugar plantations accounted for about ¾’s of the islands wealth• Who worked these plantations? – laborers from Japan,

Portugal, and China

1900 – they outnumbered NATIVE HAWAIIANS (3 to 1)

Hawaii

Who benefited from close ties with US –

1) Sale of Hawaiian sugar without a duty – what’s a duty? (def: tax) 2) White business leaders forced King Kalakaua to change Hawaii’s constitution to grant voting rights only to wealthy landowners…so who did this basically give control of Hawaii’s government to?

Hawaii

AMERICAN BUSINESSMEN

3) US strong-armed Hawaii into allowing a naval base to be built at… where? PEARL HARBOR

White Planters!

• She proposed a new constitution that would remove owning property qualifications from voting

This would have restored political power to Native Hawaiians

HOWEVER THIS WAS PREVENTED FROM HAPPENING… (let’s take a look)

Hawaii• When King Kalakaua died

in 1891, his sister Liliuokalani became queen• Educated in US• Rallied against US rule• Hawaii for Hawaiians

With the aid of wealthy American businessmen and US ambassador (John L. Stevens), a coup to overthrew Queen Liliuokalani was planned

• On the night of January 16th 1893, the U.S.S. Boston appeared in Honolulu harbor

• American marines moved ashore (supposed mission – to protect American lives and property)

• At same time, volunteer troops took over government building and imprisoned the queen in her palace

Hawaii

Queen Liliuokalani saw it was hopeless and sadly surrendered her throne

Ambassador John Stevens reported to Washington

“The Hawaiian pear is now fully ripe, and this is the golden hour

for the US to pluck it.”

And who became the president of this provisional (def: temporary ) government (without a popular vote)?

Hawaii

Why it was me… Sanford

B. Dole!My cousin started the

Dole Pineapple company

What happened to the Queen?• New government found her GUILTY of treason (her

alleged knowledge of a counterrevolutionary attempt by her supporters) and sentenced her to five years of hard labor and a $5,000 fine.

• Hard Labor sentence was NOT carried out HOWEVER she was placed under house arrest.– After 8 months was released on parole, but she was forbidden

to leave the island of O‘ahu.– Died in 1917

How did they (businessmen and Stevens) get away with this?

• Claimed that they were overthrowing a corrupt, immoral regime in order to advance democratic principles

• Also that another western power was likely to acquire the islands and Hawaii had a fine harbor

Stevens immediately recognized the provisional government who sent commission to Washington D.C.

• Asked that the islands be annexed (def: To incorporate (territory) into an existing political unit such as a country )

• BUT after a special investigation, Stevens ( ) was blamed for revolution (forced into retirement)• President Cleveland tried to restore Queen to her

throne “By an act of war…a substantial wrong has been done”

Hawaii

US Ambassador

NOT THAT SIMPLE… Dole refused to surrender power!So Cleveland (unwilling to use force) formally recognized the Republic of Hawaii BUT he refused to consider annexation unless A MAJORITY OF HAWAIIANS FAVORED IT

Hawaii

• But then William McKinley (favoring annexation) succeeded Cleveland as president

• His political platform claimed Hawaii may be annexed by Japan if US did not act.

• Congress then proclaimed Hawaii an American territory without Hawaiians having had the chance to vote on annexation

Hawaii

In 1993, Congress passed and President Clinton signed an Apology Resolution apologizing for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii a century before

However…issues still con’t today…