Subjects:
During the late 19th century, the United States became increasingly interested in
acquiring land outside its continental states. This process became known as imperialism,
and would later label the United States as one of the imperialistic countries of the world.
This is partly due to our countries efforts to obtain and annex the sovereign state of
Hawaii. There were several reasons for the United States to be interested in this
monarchical country. One was the establishment of strategic naval bases along its coasts,
another was the importance of trade, third was of Hawaiian annexation, causing it to
become a foothold for further takings of the United States. This would later make the
U.S. one of the leading imperialistic countries rivaling even Great Britain. During the
1880’s, the average American opposed expansionism, now in the late 1890’s, men and
women felt it was a necessity, mostly because politicians changed their minds. This is
not to say that all Americans felt expansion was necessary, it is true that some opposed
Hawaii’s annexation. But, many people felt that the Anglo-Saxons of the world should
. . .
President Harrison refused to sign the treaty for several reasons. Naval officers and Marines
without the permission of the United States. Thus the fate of
Hawaii rises and falls due to its many influences, and in December of 1893, President
Cleveland referred to the landing of troops on January 16, as “an act of war”. In the year of 1900, Hawaii would officially
become a United States territory. This scared
politicians into creating a new treaty that would prevent this and would also ensure their
military hold on Pearl Harbor as a refueling station for the Navy. Although a definitive answer was never given to Thurson directly, he still wrote
to Secretary of State Blaine a detailed account of the political factions currently in
Hawaii. The few
natives and lower class whites that did favor annexation wanted to do so by means of a
revolution; whereas the rich plantation owners wanted a peaceful ending that included a
new constitution. Had the
Japanese actually taken the islands under their imperial wing, the outcome of World War
II might have been much different. But it must also be noted that the islands of Hawaii were looked at with great
interest, first by the Germans and British and then later by the Japanese. The saddest part was not that Hawaii’s sovereignty
was taken away; it was that the people of Hawaii and their culture were ignored and
tossed aside in the interest of material goods and property.
Essay's Topics
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