In the 19th century, the Hawaiian Islands were a stop for U.S. merchantmen and sailors en route to and from Asia. As early as 1851, the Hawaiian king requested that the U.S. annex his islands because it would have eliminated tariffs on Hawaiian goods, thus enhancing the islands’ economy. However many Americans, particularly northerners, opposed annexation because they feared the islands would be settled by slaveholders.
Queen Liliuokalani
In the late 19th century, many U.S. businesses began taking control of Hawaiian sugar plantations, and the U.S. Navy established rights to Pearl Harbor as a coaling and repair station for merchant ships. Many Americans, primarily those tied to business or military interests, sought expansion and thus began pushing to annex Hawaii.
In 1891, Queen Liliuokalani ascended to the Hawaiian throne and attempted to implement a pro-Hawaiian policy at the expense of U.S. business interests. When a committee representing these interests expressed concern about potential violence against U.S. citizens, the USS Boston landed in Honolulu Harbor and U.S. Marines were dispatched to "protect American lives and property in case of riot."
The foreign revolt against the Queen combined with the U.S. Marine presence made it impossible for the Queen to protect herself. The monarchy was overthrown and the U.S. flag was raised over the government building.
The Blount Report
In 1893, the Provisional Hawaiian Government signed the Hawaiian Annexation Treaty asking that Hawaii be annexed to the U.S. This stalled because Grover Cleveland became president before the treaty was ratified, and he opposed annexation. He dispatched Congressman James H. Blount to Hawaii to investigate how the Queen was overthrown.
The Blount Report implicated the U.S. in the "lawless overthrow of the lawful, peaceful government of Hawaii." Based on these findings, Cleveland worked to restore the Queen to the throne. However the Queen refused help unless those involved in the overthrow were prosecuted. Moreover, the Provisional Government refused to relinquish power. Thus the parties involved were at an impasse.
The Morgan Report
To resolve the stalemate, Cleveland referred the matter to the Senate. When it was discovered that the Blount Report contained factual errors, Senator John Tyler Morgan was dispatched to conduct an investigation of his own.
The Morgan Report deemed Queen Liliuokalani guilty of her own overthrow by failing to abide by established laws protecting foreign interests. The report concluded by opposing both annexation and military intervention to restore the Queen. Despite his previous support for the Blount Report, President Cleveland, eager to resolve the dispute, reluctantly accepted the Morgan Report’s findings.
The matter seemed closed when Congress adopted the Turpie Resolution, which stated that the U.S. should no longer interfere in Hawaiian affairs. While this ended the hopes of those wanting the U.S. to annex Hawaii, it also ended Queen Liliuokalani’s hopes of regaining her throne. The U.S. opened diplomatic relations with the new Republic of Hawaii while the new government continued lobbying for annexation.
Annexing Hawaii
When William McKinley became president in 1897, he revived the idea of annexing Hawaii. An annexation treaty was signed, but it failed to gather the required two-thirds majority vote in the Senate for ratification. Thus the Newlands Resolution was adopted, whereby Hawaii could be annexed by a simple majority vote in both houses of Congress. This was done in July 1898, and Hawaii officially became a U.S. territory the following month.
Because annexing foreign territories traditionally requires a treaty, and because treaties require a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate for ratification, the annexation of Hawaii was technically unconstitutional. However many supported this move because it would establish permanent U.S. naval and commercial bases in the Pacific. And it would prevent an expanding Japan from taking the islands.
In 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state. President Bill Clinton later signed the "Apology Resolution" acknowledging U.S. involvement in Queen Liliuokalani’s overthrow. This was based on the Blount Report’s findings without acknowledging the Morgan Report. While the resolution addressed historical grievances by many Hawaiians, it did nothing to change Hawaii’s status as a state.
Sources
- Richardson, Heather Cox: West from Appomattox (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007)
- Schweikart, Larry and Allen, Michael: A Patriot’s History of the United States (New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2004)
- Zinn, Howard: A People’s History of the United States (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1980)
Walter Coffey - Walter Coffey is a freelance writer who resides in Houston, Texas. Walter has written several works of historical fiction and non-fiction, ...
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