Summary: The Annexation Of Hawaii

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The Annexation of Hawaii Hawaii is an island chain that sits in the North Pacific Ocean. Today it is a favorite vacation spot, with its white sandy beaches, and blue ocean waters. It is also home to Pearl Harbor, a large naval base. However, Hawaii wasn’t always an American state. Beginning in 1795, Hawaii was ruled by the Kamehameha Dynasty, as an independent nation, that was recognized by President John Tyler. Hawaii would continue to be an independent nation until 1893, under the House of Kalakaua. In 1887, the Bayonet Constitution was signed, stripping the monarch of his authority, instead giving him cabinet ministers to rule the country. Also, in this constitution, Americans were given the right to vote, and even run for office …show more content…
This plot fell through, when the plan was discovered less than 48 hours before it was to be carried out. Princess Lili’uokalani did take the throne eventually, in 1890, when her brother died of health complications in San Francisco. Upon taking the throne, Lili’okalani began re-writing the constitution, proposing things such as a lottery to raise money for her government, and a bill to legalize opium. In her new constitution, European and American residents who were not citizens of Hawaii would be stripped of their voting and political rights as well. On January 16, Charles Wilson, the Marshall of the kingdom, received word that a coup d’état was about to take place. When he heard of this, he wanted to arrest the members of the Committee of Safety who were conspiring, and put the islands under martial law. Attorney General Peterson and the Queen’s cabinet denied these requests, because they feared the connection that the Committee of Safety had with the U.S. government. Even so, Wilson began to collect his men to fight if things got out of