The Road to Annexation

In 1778, nearly 1,500 years after Hawaii was first inhabited, Captain James Cook “discovered” the Hawaiian chain (Nordyke, 1989). After this “discovery”, Hawaii gained worldwide recognition. Hawaii‘s natural resources sparked interest from other countries including the United States. Foreigners found that Hawaii’s soil and position in the Pacific Ocean could respectively provide their countries with an extra source of income and a strategic military location. Sandalwood and sugar were found to be the most promising sources of income for foreign trade and were soon the largest industries in Hawaii. In time, foreigners were allowed to purchase land for the first time through the Great Mahele, which was made up of land divisions made by the king. After the termination of the sandalwood population, the sugar industry soon became the largest industry in Hawaii. There were five sugar companies, known as the Big Five, that controlled the sugar industry. All five sugar companies were owned by White American business tycoons and most of these companies also owned other businesses within Hawaii including banks and grocery stores. The Big Five were responsible for most of the employment within Hawaii and thus had control over the flow of money to Hawaii‘s people. The sugar industry was deeply rooted in Hawaii by the mid 1800’s and had the power to influence many political matters (Lind, 1969).

The religious beliefs of the Hawaiian people also intrigued foreigners; missionaries were soon sent to “save” Hawaiians. Missionaries from all around the globe came to Hawaii in an attempt to convert the Hawaiian people from their “primitive” ways. Missionaries from New England quickly formed schools to “educate” Hawaiians and the Bible was the first book to be translated into Hawaiian. The translation of the Bible to Hawaiian marked the first time that Hawaiians had a written language. At this point in time, Hawaiians were in a state of religious confusion due to the elimination of the ancient Hawaiian religious system by King Kamehameha II. Due to the abolishment of this system, Hawaiians reached out to Christianity hoping that it would be the answer to their confusion. Hawaiians embraced their new religion even though it meant that they had to give up their native culture; they were not allowed to practice any of their native ways while attending school or church. Those who were caught speaking Hawaiian or dancing hula were often physically punished. Hawaiians were taught that evil was present in every other belief other than Christianity and so the native Hawaiian culture was abandoned by many Hawaiians. Christianity, though, prospered and continues to be a part of many Hawaiian families (Nordyke, 1989).

With the sugar business and Christianity firmly established in the Hawaiian Islands, it was only a matter of time until these two powerhouses used their position to gain political power. The sugar companies found a reason to flex its muscles after tariffs were put on Hawaiian sugar by the United States. Sales of sugar dropped dramatically and so did the amount of political power that the Big Five possessed. The sugar companies had to find a way to do away with the taxes or face losing their business and grip on the Hawaii economy. For this reason, the Big Five convinced both Hawaii and United States government officials to agree on the Reciprocity Treaty. This treaty allowed Hawaiian sugar to be sold in the United States tax-free and allowed the United States to use Pearl Harbor, the natural harbor on Oahu’s south shore. This treaty marked the beginning of the end of the Hawaiian Kingdom (Nordyke, 1989).

As the years passed, the United States fell in love with Pearl Harbor and annexation loomed on the horizon. In 1887, Lorrin Thurston, along with members of the Big Five and other United States officials, held King David Kalakaua at gun point and ordered a constitution to be made. This constitution, known as the Bayonet Constitution, allowed only people with certain incomes to vote for Hawaii officials. Having only received 10% of the total land of Hawaii during the Great Mahele, many Hawaiians lacked the sufficient income to participate in the elections. This resulted in many White people reaching positions of political power and further establishing the United States involvement in Hawaiian affairs (Loomis, 1976).

By 1891, annexation had been proposed to King Kalakaua on various occasions but the idea was always turned down by the king. But in 1891 that King Kalakaua fell victim to illness on a trip to San Francisco and passed away. At the death of her brother, Queen Liliuokalani assumed the role of Hawaii’s leader and set out to put political control back into Hawaiian hands. Strong-willed and determined like her brother, Liliuokalani changed the constitution, giving herself more power than the previous constitution gave her. This did not bode well with the creators of the Bayonet Constitution and measures were taken to see that the queen did not gain any more power.

In 1892 John L. Stevens, the United States minister, came to Hawaii with the “holy mission” to see that Hawaii was put into the arms of the United States. Secretly, Stevens spied on the affairs of the queen and reported information to Senator James Blaine. Blaine used this information to gain the support of Congress and pushed for annexation. But it wasn’t until 1893, when Queen Liliuokalani proposed another constitution, that Congress agreed to support annexation.

When Queen Liliuokalani proposed the new constitution to give her even more political power, Stevens reported that American lives were being endangered. Blaine took this report to Congress and proposed that a Committee of Safety be formed in Hawaii in order to protect the well-being of American citizens. After the proposal was passed, Congress gave the Committee of Safety the use of a naval battleship and the troops aboard it to ensure the protection of American lives. The Committee of Safety was made up of sugar company and bank company owners, the same people who pushed for annexation during Kalakaua’s reign.

On January 14th, 1893, Liliuokalani was to announce the establishment of a new constitution but was advised not to do so by her cabinet. The cabinet feared that the new constitution would give the Committee of Safety a reason to use military force against them. To avoid any confrontations with the military, Hawaiians were advised to go home as soon as the sun went down and to stay out of bars. The community was supposed to appear as if everything was peaceful in order to keep the United States troops away from the queen. But all of this failed on January 17th, 1893, when the Committee of Safety ordered the landing of it’s troops. It was on this day that the Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown by the United States (Wood, 1999).

After the overthrow, a Provisional Government was set up to run Hawaiian affairs. In 1895, Liliuokalani was imprisoned in her own palace for attempting to restore the Hawaiian Kingdom. For two years Liliuokalani was kept out of contact with her people and all other outside contacts. Finally, in 1898, Hawaii was formally annexed by the United States on August 12th (Loomis, 1976).