Monarch Stripped
Queen's Forced Dilemma Holds the Faith of Hawaii
THESIS
The fall of the Hawaiian Monarchy on the 17th of January in 1893 was due to the actions of President Mckinley, President Cleveland, Minister John L. Stevens.
President William Mckinley
President William Mckinley was the 25th president of the United States of America. During his term of presidency Queen Liliuokalani was the power for the monarch of Hawaii. In his term the Spanish-American war was taking place in the Philippines, so then he was in favor for the annexation of the state of Hawaii. The favoring of the annexation of Hawaii was due to the strategic military location and pressure it put on the pacific as an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, as well as the perfect spot for their military forces which is Pearl Harbor. Mckinley was also a person who favored "New Imperialism". New Imperialism is an act of of colonial control over other countries, and was done by many European countries previously. With the thought of having a new location for military purposes; President Mckinley signed a treaty of annexation and sent it to the U.S. Senate. Soon after the petition was made, Hawaii still became a State from the signing of "Newlands Resolution" in 1897.
President Grover Cleveland
President Grover Cleveland is the 22nd and 24th President of the United States of America. During President Clevelands time in office, the uprising of the planters and the Committee of Safety occurred; causing the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The overthrow of the kingdom really caught President Cleveland off guard; thinking that Harrison, planters, and businessmen on the island had something to do with the revolution of 1893 to overthrow the Hawaiian Monarchy.Since President Cleveland was anti-imperialist, he thought shameful of the Americans overthrowing Hawaii. President Cleveland didn't believe that the overthrow was the right thing to do of Americans, leading President Cleveland to put pressure on the Americans of the revolutionary government. Pressuring the new government of Hawaii was done by sending an investigation to see the wrong doings. President Cleveland really wanted to restore the throne of Hawaii back to Queen Liliuokalani, but wasn't one to kill other Americans in order to restore a Hawaiian Monarch. At the end of the day President Cleveland didn't do anything after being put in the situation of going against his own citizens.
Minister John L. Stevens
Minister John L. Stevens was a U.S Minister assigned to represent the U.S. in Hawaii to stand for them on all matters, which meant he had the power of the U.S. political representation as well. John L. Stevens was a white racist man, proven by all the statements he had made of the Hawaiians he has learned about during his time in Hawaii. He has said things from Hawaiians being childlike, unfit to rule a kingdom or government, to Hawaiians being semi-barbaric. With the racist comments being said, it was logical that John L. Stevens would have supported the annexation with the Committee of Safety and agreed to the Coup de tat. Without the permission from the U.S. government, John along with the Committee of Safety forced Queen Liliuokalani to step down from her throne; establishing a new government in Hawaii on January 17 of 1893. During the time of the overthrow, John L. Stevens called down the Marines aboard the USS Boston to come and march to Downtown, Honolulu; proclaiming Hawaii a U.S. protectorate. The new revolutionary government asks President Harrison and the Congress to annex Hawaii, Harrison then sends a treaty to the Senate to be accepted.
Historical Significance
The overthrow and annexation of Hawaii wouldn't have been possible to do without the roles of President William Mckinley, President Grover Cleveland, and Minister John L. Stevens. All three of these U.S. Government figures had some impact on the overthrow or the annexation of Hawaii. The annexation of Hawaii is an important event in our history because it shows how and why Hawaii was taken in to the nation. It was taken illegally and unlawfully. Annexation was also done for mostly military purposes as well. The knowledge of the overthrow is important to have because not everyone really knows how it really happened.
Is Hawaii Legally and Lawfully a State of the Union?
No, because it was done by an act of war, as it was said by President Grover Cleveland; but he couldn't do anything because he didn't want to shoot any other Americans. There is also said to be a treaty that established the annexation of Hawaii, but when really there isn't a legal treaty that allowed the annexation of Hawaii.
Supplemental Information
The pictures below show the significant event of the overthrow and annexation of Hawaii. The event shown below are pictures of the gathering in front of the Iolani Palace and the overthrowing of the Hawaiian Monarch, and even the Hawaiian Flag was taken down, cut into pieces and given to the people as memorial souvenirs.