Hawaii's Ruptured Rights
Hawaiian's struggle for independance
Thesis
Minister John L. Stevens
Minister John Stevens’s role in the Overthrow of Hawaii started first by meeting up with Sanford Dole and Lorrin Thurston on January 14, 1893. After that meet, they all 3 have plotted to Overthrow Queen Lili'uokalani since they were interested of a territory for the US. Since then, he created the Committee of Safety for the welfare of the US Residents living on Hawaii. When he advised the Committee about the threat, he then gained the request to call the US Marine to arrive at Honolulu on January 16, 1893. As the Marines arrived, Queen Lili’uokalani surrendered and lowered her troop’s forces having the Honolulu Rifles taking over the government buildings, disarming the Royal Guards and declared their own Provisional Government. Continuing on then on February 9, 1893, Stevens have established a pending negotiation for the annexation for Hawaii. Moments came when U.S President Grover Cleveland was elected, he had cancelled off any further discussion about the Annexation of Hawaii.
U.S. President Grover S. Cleveland
President Grover Cleveland, an anti-imperialist was elected as President and believed that an Overthrow was an act of War. For his play during the Overthrow of Hawaii, he responded to the Hawaiians protest after an investigation through the legality of the overthrow of Hawaii. This connects through his belief about the wrong actions in Hawaii such as the overthrow of the Queen plotted by Minister John Stevens. By doing so, he assigned Secretary James Blount to report about the Overthrow of Hawaii and that it was an illegal and immoral act. As these acts were known, Dole refused to leave the office and majority of Americans agreed for the Annexation of Hawaii. And so, the Queen was held under house arrest for several months. He had done nothing to this point and American sentiments were turned to annexation of Hawaii. Moving on along, he left office and was then replaced by President William McKinley who gained support in the early 1898.
U.S. President William McKinley Jr.
U.S. President William McKinley play in the Overthrow of Hawaii was that he changed his predecessor’s policy and supported the annexation of Hawaii but his treaty wasn’t then passed through the Congress. He found Hawaii as a good place for a strategic value for the Spanish-American war. He was forced to play a struggling role after the islands strategic chain became apparent. As by doing so, he kept on trying to have his annexation passed by the Congress and a support for the claim for American on the Philippines. After his attempts, his annexation had passed during May 4, 1898. After 2 months later, the Senate has passed through the treaty and then President William McKinley signed it the day after July 6, 1898. This has brought Hawaii’s independence back returning their rights. The United States took formal possession of the islands August 12, 1898 then later on naming a school after his name called, “McKinley High School”.