<P> By the 1840s , sugarcane plantations gained a foothold in Hawaiian agriculture . Steamships provided rapid and reliable transportation to the islands , and demand increased during the California Gold Rush . The land division law of 1848 ( known as The Great Mahele ) displaced Hawaiian people from their land , forming the basis for the sugarcane plantation economy . In 1850 , the law was amended to allow foreign residents to buy and lease land . In 1850 , when California became a state , profits declined and the number of plantations decreased to five due to the import tariff that was created . Market demand increased even further during the onset of the American Civil War which prevented Southern sugar from being shipped northward . The price of sugar rose 525 % from 4 cents per pound in 1861 to 25 cents in 1864 . The Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 allowed Hawaii to sell sugar to the United States without paying duties or taxes , greatly increasing plantation profits . This treaty also guaranteed that all of the resources including land , water , human labor power , capital , and technology would be thrown behind sugarcane cultivation . The 1890 McKinley Tariff Act , an effort by the United States government to decrease the competitive pricing of Hawaiian sugar , paid 2 cents per pound to mainland producers . After significant lobbying efforts , this act was repealed in 1894 . By 1890 , 75 % of all privately held land was owned by foreign businessmen . The plantation owners wanted the United States to annex Hawaii so that Hawaiian sugar would never again be subject to tariffs . They also wanted the United States to annex Hawaii so there could be a U.S military base on the island ( Pearl Harbor ) . </P>
<P> By the 1840s , sugarcane plantations gained a foothold in Hawaiian agriculture . Steamships provided rapid and reliable transportation to the islands , and demand increased during the California Gold Rush . The land division law of 1848 ( known as The Great Mahele ) displaced Hawaiian people from their land , forming the basis for the sugarcane plantation economy . In 1850 , the law was amended to allow foreign residents to buy and lease land . In 1850 , when California became a state , profits declined and the number of plantations decreased to five due to the import tariff that was created . Market demand increased even further during the onset of the American Civil War which prevented Southern sugar from being shipped northward . The price of sugar rose 525 % from 4 cents per pound in 1861 to 25 cents in 1864 . The Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 allowed Hawaii to sell sugar to the United States without paying duties or taxes , greatly increasing plantation profits . This treaty also guaranteed that all of the resources including land , water , human labor power , capital , and technology would be thrown behind sugarcane cultivation . The 1890 McKinley Tariff Act , an effort by the United States government to decrease the competitive pricing of Hawaiian sugar , paid 2 cents per pound to mainland producers . After significant lobbying efforts , this act was repealed in 1894 . By 1890 , 75 % of all privately held land was owned by foreign businessmen . The plantation owners wanted the United States to annex Hawaii so that Hawaiian sugar would never again be subject to tariffs . They also wanted the United States to annex Hawaii so there could be a U.S military base on the island ( Pearl Harbor ) . </P>
what happened in 1875 that helped the hawaiian sugar industry grow
what happened in 1875 that helped the hawaiian sugar industry grow
The Reciprocity Treaty of 1875
The Reciprocity Treaty of 1875