The overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893 involved many conflicting opinions on whether Hawaii’s sovereignty should have been maintained or not. During King Kalakaua’s reign, businessmen and foreigners formed the Hawaiian League, and their main goal was to reform the monarchy. Once the king passed, his sister Lili’uokalani became queen; however, despite her efforts, she ended up yielding her throne and giving up Hawaii’s sovereignty to the America in hopes that they would restore her (Pitzer). Nevertheless, the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom was not justified because it resulted in Lorrin A. Thurston achieving his goals of an overthrown monarchy, the Committee of Safety performed illegal acts, and although the event helped improve the
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Thurston pursued many actions that did not benefit the Hawaiian people. Originally from the Hawaiian League, he became a part of an alliance known as the Annexation Club, a secretive group focused on acts of treason (Pitzer). He called upon the American minister in Hawaii, John Stevens, to send troops from the U.S.S Boston, an American warship, to the palace in support of the Committee of Safety (Pitzer). This shows that Thurston would do something unlawful to threaten the queen’s throne. Also, according to the article, “The Annexation,” Thurston and his league created a new constitution that limited the voting power of all except the wealthy, meaning that the native Hawaiians had lost their power to vote. This was unjust because it took away the privilege Hawaii’s people should have had without question; therefore, the things Thurston did were unfavorable for …show more content…
On the positive aspect, the Reciprocity Treaty allowed Hawaiian and American goods to be imported and exported into land tax-free, making the resource an important economic support for the islands. This was the beginning of the land’s multicultural population, and during this time the profits from sugar allowed Hawaii to thrive (“Economic History of Hawaii”). However, the same article states that later throughout the time period of the overthrow, the McKinley Tariff was enacted, removing the treaty and the benefits it provided for sugar growers. Plantation laborers had to start paying tariffs again, and from 1890 to 1892, about $5,000,000 was lost. In addition, foreigners began to talk about annexation since less sugar was being sold, leading to the creation of annexation groups (“The Annexation”). This action was one of the reasons on why Hawaii was annexed in 1898, causing the nation to lose its independence. In summary, the overthrow was unfavorable because of the McKinley Tariff, which caused Hawaii to lose money and its
Thurston pursued many actions that did not benefit the Hawaiian people. Originally from the Hawaiian League, he became a part of an alliance known as the Annexation Club, a secretive group focused on acts of treason (Pitzer). He called upon the American minister in Hawaii, John Stevens, to send troops from the U.S.S Boston, an American warship, to the palace in support of the Committee of Safety (Pitzer). This shows that Thurston would do something unlawful to threaten the queen’s throne. Also, according to the article, “The Annexation,” Thurston and his league created a new constitution that limited the voting power of all except the wealthy, meaning that the native Hawaiians had lost their power to vote. This was unjust because it took away the privilege Hawaii’s people should have had without question; therefore, the things Thurston did were unfavorable for …show more content…
On the positive aspect, the Reciprocity Treaty allowed Hawaiian and American goods to be imported and exported into land tax-free, making the resource an important economic support for the islands. This was the beginning of the land’s multicultural population, and during this time the profits from sugar allowed Hawaii to thrive (“Economic History of Hawaii”). However, the same article states that later throughout the time period of the overthrow, the McKinley Tariff was enacted, removing the treaty and the benefits it provided for sugar growers. Plantation laborers had to start paying tariffs again, and from 1890 to 1892, about $5,000,000 was lost. In addition, foreigners began to talk about annexation since less sugar was being sold, leading to the creation of annexation groups (“The Annexation”). This action was one of the reasons on why Hawaii was annexed in 1898, causing the nation to lose its independence. In summary, the overthrow was unfavorable because of the McKinley Tariff, which caused Hawaii to lose money and its