Students will dive deeper into the history of the U.S. annexation of Hawai’i in 1898. They will explore American motives of Hawaiian territory, foreign policy and political propaganda, and Hawaiian resentment towards the U.S. based on illegal annexation.
Hawai’i was a key economic area for whaling, sugar cane production, and access to the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. felt threatened by the possibility of the Hawaiian Kingdom becoming part of a European empire like Britain or France.The American depiction of Lili’uokalani portrays the highly intelligent and generous queen as a dumb savage who was unfit to run her kingdom.
On January 17, 1893, the Kingdom of Hawai’i was illegally overthrown when a group of businessmen forced Queen Lili’uokalani to abdicate her thrown. The Hawaiian people were restricted from accessing their land and banned from practicing Hawaiian culture or speaking the Hawaiian language. Hawai’i officially became annexed on August 12, 1898.
One Reply to “Annexation of Hawai’i to the United States”
Hi Hannah!
I love your topic! I was very interested in learning about Hawai’i’s history when taking Literature of the Pacific. This is definitely an important topic, not only in Hawai’i but for the world as well.
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Hi Hannah!
I love your topic! I was very interested in learning about Hawai’i’s history when taking Literature of the Pacific. This is definitely an important topic, not only in Hawai’i but for the world as well.