For myself, I would have chosen death rather than to have signed it; but it was represented to me that by my signing this paper all the persons who had been arrested, all my people now in trouble by reason of their love and loyalty towards me, would be immediately released. Think of my position, – sick, a lone woman in prison, scarcely knowing who was my friend, or who listened to my words only to betray me, without legal advice or friendly counsel, and the stream of blood ready to flow unless it was stayed by my pen.“10
By 1897, William McKinley had become president, and he was quickly swayed by several annexationists and expansionists. He signed a treaty of annexation and submitted it to the Senate for approval. After serving her sentence, Queen Liliʻuokalani appeared in Washington the day the Senate opened with other delegates from Hawaiʻi to provide testimony and the signatures of native Hawaiians who opposed the movement for annexation. When the delegates left Washington in February, they were successful in having persuaded enough senators to vote against the treaty so that it would not pass.11 Although this was an incredible victory, there were more unfortunate events to come that would detract from the progress they made that year. In 1898, the United States declared war against Spain. In an effort to gain a strategic position that would gain them the upper hand in the war, they insisted that they needed to use Hawaiʻi as a coaling station for the ships they would deploy in the Philippines. On July 6, Congress passed a joint resolution titled the Newlands Resolution that ultimately claimed Hawaii as a United States territory. Even today, tensions still persist among native Hawaiians who feel strong opposition for Hawaiʻi’s having been annexed. As a way to acknowledge these events and offer an apology, the United States Congress, in 1993, on the “100th anniversary of the illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii,” passed Public Law 103-150. One measure reads,The Congress … expresses its commitment to acknowledge the ramifications of the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, in order to provide a proper foundation for reconciliation between the United States and the Native Hawaiian people.12
The movement to retain Hawaiʻi was initially pursued as a means of dominating the sugar market and to gain private property. As time evolved, a sense of nationalism dawned over the movement in the midst of the Spanish-American War. It is this sense of protecting American interests that, in part, appropriated the movement. The militarization of the Hawaiian Islands is what eventually enabled the United States to establish themselves as a prominent Pacific power. Congress has acknowledge the actions that led to the annexation and has issued a form of apology in regards to the tension that still persists. They have made it a point to offer their sympathetic words through a Public Law as a way to salvage a relationship between the United States and native Hawaiians. The importance of this relationship lies in the vital role that Hawaiʻi continues to play in the United State’s position in the Pacific.
annexation
Hawaiʻi
Vanessa Rodriguez
Very interesting article. I really enjoyed how the pictures brought this article to life and made me feel for the queen because all she wanted was to protect her people and the only was was to surrender. It really goes to show how easy a country can be taken over if it is not strong enough. I really enjoyed learning a chunk of Hawaii’s history.
05/02/2023
2:46 pm
Isabella Lopez
I don’t think enough people know about the annexation of Hawaii. The queen sounded like she wasn’t a force to be reckoned with. this topic isn’t something a lot of people talk about because it highlights a very manipulative past for America. I think this article was well put together. I feel this article is backed by genuine research.
05/02/2023
2:46 pm
Maria Luevano
Irene, what a great and detailed article! I do not remember learning much about Hawai’i in my history classes, so I am glad I read this. For example, I had no idea there was a kingdom in Hawai’i or heard about King Kalakaua and his sister. It is sad to hear about how the annexation of Hawai’i happened because it is just another story of white men stealing indigenous peoples’ land and coercing them into a lifestyle they do not want.
05/02/2023
2:46 pm
Hunter Stiles
First off, Congratulations on the publishing of your article! This article was interesting to read since it explained how Hawaii became a part of the US and how the native Hawaiians responded both then and now. It is unfortunate that the monarchy was compelled to cede its authority simply because the United States threatened both the monarchy and its populace, which is why the queen signed off on the agreement. The issue at the time was made incredibly plain and simple to grasp in this piece since it was so thoroughly researched and written. This is a topic that I have never heard about and the detail that was provided made it feel as though the event happened yesterday. This article was extremely well researched and the effort is there. Well done!
05/02/2023
2:46 pm
Nnamdi Onwuzurike
Another sad story of beautiful people having their land and culture swept from under their feet by a certain race. It makes me proud to see that the Hawai’ian people refused to go down without a fight. This is one of the little stories that you never hear of because I for one had never heard about the annexation of Hawai’i until today. All in all, this is a splendid article that I would read again
05/02/2023
2:46 pm
Lyle Ballesteros
This is a very good article and an important one at that. I had briefly learned of how Hawaii had become part of the United States in high school and how it related to the sugar industry but never in this much detail and how much deeper it went. They stole this land from the native Hawaiians and even if they apologized decades later, it means nothing in the grand scheme of things as their natural freedom was taken away for military purposes, even after they had fought and won an incredible battle against annexation only a few short years earlier.
05/02/2023
2:46 pm
Victoria Castillo
Great article Irene! I knew that there were rough tensions between Hawai’i and the United States for the annexation of the country, but I never realized the full extent of what the U.S. did to gain Hawai’i. Reading it now I can tell you that I do not blame the native people of Hawai’i for having anger and staging a rebellion against the Republic of Hawai’i. It was admirable though that Queen Lili’uokalani signed the document to rid of her throne for her people’s lives. It is sad knowing that the U.S. actions against Hawai’i was never fully recognized, even with the “apology” public law Congress created.
12/02/2023
2:46 pm
Griffin Palmer
This article did a great job of explaining how Hawaii would become part of the United States. It was interesting to learn that Hawaii used to be a Monarchy before becoming part of a Democracy. However, the way it was done was disappointing, to say the least. The Americans stole their land and used it as sugar plantations for them to benefit from.
12/02/2023
2:46 pm
Alejandro Fernandez
In this article, the author does a great job in describing the overall process in the annexation of Hawaii to the United States. Specifically, the authors touches on the feelings of natives in the Republic of Hawaii and their fight against the annexation. Ultimately, it’s respectable that for the betterment of her people, Queen Lili’uokalani exited her throne and sought out the United States for better opportunities. Through this, one can admire this action and credit her for the existence of Hawaii in the United States.
12/02/2023
2:46 pm
Jacob Anthony Ayala
This was a very interesting article to read. When I first clicked on the article I had no idea about the annexation of Hawaii. I found it interesting how much pull the sugar industry had on Hawaii. These big industries’ influence on a state’s economy is really interesting to read about. I enjoyed this read because it gave lots of unknown insight into the annexation of Hawaii.
05/02/2023
2:46 pm