Which group in Hawaii was in favor of annexation by the United States?
1 Answer
The American planters led by Samuel Dole believed a coup and annexation of Hawaii by the United States would eliminate a threat of a huge tariff on their sugar production.
Explanation:
A key provisioning spot for American whaling ships, fertile ground for American protestant missionaries, and a new source of sugar cane production, Hawaii's economy became increasingly integrated with the United States.
An 1875 trade reciprocity treaty further linked the two countries and U.S. sugar plantation owners from the United States came to dominate the economy and politics of the islands.
When Queen Liliuokalani moved to establish a stronger monarchy, Americans under the leadership of Samuel Dole deposed her in 1893. The planters' believe a coup and annexation by the United States would remove the threat of a huge tariff on their sugar production.
The administration of President Benjamin Harrison encouraged the takeover, and dispatched sailors from the USS Boston to the islands to surround the royal palace. The U.S. minister to Hawaii, John L. Stevens, worked closely with the new government.
