A Kingdom Lost: The U.S. Annexation of Hawaii

By the mid-1800s, the U.S. considered the Hawaiian islands invaluable to the future development of commercial export and defense in the Pacific region. The U.S. Navy began using the harbor of Pearl River on Oahu as a coaling and repair station for its ships operating in the Pacific and commercial vessels used Hawaii for the same purposes during the long voyages back and forth to Japan, China, Hong Kong, Australia, and other Pacific trade destinations. The U.S. use of forward basing in the Philippines and Guam during the Spanish-American War additionally confirmed Hawaiis strategic value and location in the central Pacific. In January of 1893, Queen Liliuokalani announced her intentions to promulgate a new constitution that would restore the power of the Hawaiian monarchy. Liliuokalanis proposed constitution threatened to withdraw U.S. concessions and remove power from the appointed legislature, chief officers of state, and the diplomatic corps. This attempted Coup d Etat was the beginning of the end for the Kingdom of Hawaii. For the next five years, Queen Liliuokalani would unsuccessfully attempt to reestablish the Hawaiian monarchy. On 7 July 1898, President McKinley signed the bill for Hawaiis annexation and any hope for sovereignty and the kingdom was lost. This strategic research paper explores the historical events that led to Hawaiis annexation and addresses the military, political, and economic interests and implications of this crucial acquisition in the Pacific.