Aloha Oe Maha Oi Haole
Farewell to all evil white men!
Thesis
President Grover Cleveland
President Grover Cleveland out raged about the over throw. He never wanted this to happen. So what he did was he sent a former congressman James Henderson Blout to investigate the happenings in Hawaii. As Blout returned, he stated that this was illegal and immoral, in which Cleveland agreed to. He then sent this information to congress, but they did not agree to him. They opposed his stance, saying that Blout's investigation was completely wrong, but it was a way for business. Cleveland then had no power to do anything, and he stopped what he did in helping the Queens to get her land back. When the Queen heard his doings on not annexing Hawaii, she made a petition on opposing the annexation. By the time Queen Liliuokalani made a petition on opposing the annexation, she tried to present it to Cleveland, but it was too late because he was not in the office anymore, but William McKinley was now the President.
Minister John L. Stevens
John Stevens was the United States minister for Hawaii. He was part of Hawaii’s committee of safety, along with 12 other businessmen. He and the committee of safety had a strong vote for the annexation of Hawaii to the United States because Hawaii was a great location to have trade with Asia and also a strategic place for military uses, which is now called, Pearl Harbor. Stevens was the one that used military forces, without government permission, to force King Kalakaua to sign a constitution, named the Bayonet Constitution. The constitution gave less power to the monarchy, and more into the committee of safety. When the death of Kalakaua happened, his sister Liliuokalani became the next ruler. In her reign, she tried to make a new constitution to give her people and the monarchy more power. When Steven and committee of safety heard of this, they knew they had to do something. They then used military forces, once again, to let her give up her land, in which she did. Steven was then accused of the illegally overthrowing the Hawaiian Monarchy.
President William McKinley
President William McKinley was the following president after Cleveland. McKinley was one of the many Americans that wanted Hawaii to be annexed to United States. In which, he made it possible. He couldn’t annex Hawaii at first because congress wouldn’t allow it on his first year of the presidency. When he first became the president, he was in the Spanish-American war during his office. Since America was in war with the Spanish, the different places they struck were in Manila, Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. Since Philippines were on the opposite end of the Pacific Ocean, he thought of Hawaii. So since Hawaii was in the middle of the two countries, Hawaii would be a good place for military forces to stay, and to travel easier to Philippines. They would use Hawaii as a stopping point when the American troops travel from the U.S to the Philippines.This is why McKinley had annexed Hawaii into the United States.
Historical Significance
Is Hawai'i Legally and Lawfully a State of the Union?
Supplemental Information
Citations
"Grover Cleveland." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grover_Cleveland>.
"Hawaii's Monarchy Overthrown With U.S. Support, 120 Years Ago."History.com. A&E Television Networks, 17 Jan. 2013. Web. 11 Mar. 2015. <http://www.history.com/news/hawaiis-monarchy-overthrown-with-u-s-support-120-years-ago>.
"John L. Stevens." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_L._Stevens>.
"Miller Center." American President: American President. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. <http://millercenter.org/president/events/07_07>.
"William McKinley." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_McKinley>.