Title: Annexation of Hawaii - Ancestry Insights
Headings: Annexation of Hawaii
Historical Insights Annexation of Hawaii
Content: Annexation of Hawaii - Ancestry Insights
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Credit: Thompson Publishing Co./Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
Historical Insights Annexation of Hawaii
While native Hawaiians—trying to protect their culture—were against Hawaii’s annexation, most Americans were in favor of it. July 7, 1898, Honolulu, Hawaii. Credit: Thompson Publishing Co./Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
Annexation of Hawaii
Much political upheaval, including the overthrowing of its queen, led to Hawaii’s annexation by the United States in 1898. The booming sugar trade between the United States and Hawaii was the leading factor in Hawaii becoming a U.S. territory in 1898. In 1890, Congress approved a tariff that raised import rates on foreign sugar, causing a depression in Hawaii. Most of the sugar growers, white Americans, wanted Hawaii’s annexation to void the tariff. However, the newly crowned Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani, as well as most native Hawaiians, believed that foreign interference was causing Hawaii’s problems and moved to make the monarchy even stronger. She was overthrown in 1893 by American businessmen without President Cleveland’s knowledge.