Hui Aloha Aina
The Hawaiian Control Has Come To An End...
Thesis
The Hawaiian Kingdom Overthrow made an significant impact due to the works of U.S. Minister John L. Stevens, President Grover Cleveland and President William McKinley.
Minister John L. Stevens
The Committee of Safety, which included the members of the Hawaiian League, had created the Bayonet Constitution. This conspired to overthrow the queen to achieve the goal of Annexation. They called on Stevens to summon the U.S. Marines to the islands. He was assigned to Hawaii to give advice and American's demand because he also believes that the white race is superior. He asked U.S.S. Boston (U.S. Warship) to be permanently stationed in Pearl Harbor. This way he could protect the American troops. He assured that he would support the Queen and their government against the armed forces. But he wouldn't protect Queen Liliuokalani. Hawaiians were known to be as child-like and are unfit to rule. So he believed that he should "protect American lives and property." The view of the Hawaiians were the same as the Committee of Safety which caused a Coup De'tat - a change in government. After this happens, the Queen surrenders to the U.S. Government but not to the provisional government.
President Grover Cleveland
President Grover Cleveland, who replaced President Harrison, opposes Annexation. So he helps out the Republic of Hawaii. He believed that the Hawaiians don't want to be a part of the United States. Queen Liliuokalani asked Cleveland for help. In return he withdrew the treaty, tried to lower all of the American configurations (such as the flag) and decided to reinstate the queen to her rightful throne. The Hawaiian League disagrees to this. Senator Blount was soon sent to Hawaii to investigate and because he also favors against the annexation. He wrote over 1,400 explaining that it is illegal and immoral to annex Hawaii. In addition, Cleveland also mentions how it's the "Act of War." He relies on Congress to help him out. In the end Cleveland basically doesn't do anything to trying to stop the provisional government. Sadly, the overthrow was successful due to the works of the military force.
President William McKinley
25th U.S. President McKinley believed in New Imperialism and American expansion. So he wanted Pearl Harbor for the military bases. During this time, other events brought the subject of annexation up again immediately. The Spanish-American War was also occurring in the Philippines. This is where the U.S.S. Battleship Maine was blown up in the Havana harbor in Cuba. This established the value of the Hawaiian Islands as a mid-point for re-stockings and refueling. He supports annexation so the pro-annexation forces in Congress submitted a proposal to annex the Hawaiian Island by joint resolution which required only a simple majority vote in both the Senate and House of Representatives. But, there wasn't enough votes in the Senate. In result, the Congressional Joint Resolution (also called the "New Lands Resolution") was established. The people favored "yes" in the votes. He signed The Act of Congress into law on July 7 1898 which made Hawaii a U.S. territory.
Historical Significance
Thanks to the roles of Minister John Stevens, Presidents Cleveland and McKinley, the overthrow of the Hawaii kingdom was yet accomplished. This topic is important in history because it shows the government changed from a monarchy, constitutional and into a democratic government. The long term significance is that the purpose of the Hawaiian overthrow was to remove all Native Hawaiians and their majority dominance and how it affected its relationship between them and the United States. The things that I want the reader to take away from my project are the lessons that they've learned about the roles of those who participated in the overthrow and its effect of it.
Is Hawai'i legally and lawfully a state of the union?
No, Hawai'i is not legally and lawfully a state of union because of the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom was unnecessary. By the works of the U.S. Presidents Harrison, McKinley and more, they had the complete power to convince others to annex Hawaii. Although, even if they signed the Joint Resolution the Hawaiians still don't consider Hawaii as a part of the United States.
Supplemental Information
Shown below are 2 pictures of those who were involved in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom which are Queen Liliuokalani and Sanford Dole.
Works Cited
Silva, Noenoe K. "The 1897 Petition Against the Annexation of Hawaii."National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2015. <http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/hawaii-petition/>.