| Summary/Abstract |
When the Hawaiian Islands were annexed by the United States in July 1898, it marked the culmination of a chain of events orchestrated by white, mostly American, lawyers and businessmen. In 1887, this group had imposed upon the Hawaiian king, Kalākaua, a constitution effectively stripping the monarchy of its executive powers. Six years later, however, they still found themselves frustrated by the ability of Kalākaua’s successor, Queen Lili‘uokalani, to manipulate the political process. Therefore, in January 1893, they colluded with the U.S. minister to Hawai‘i and troops in Honolulu harbor to elicit the queen’s abdication, and with it the end of the monarchy. The desired annexation to the United States was not immediately forthcoming, so the provisional government declared a republic in July 1894, which endured until U.S. president William McKinley finally intervened to take the islands in 1898.
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