U.S. Foothold in Hawaii

Eventually, the United States had made a robust foothold on the island of Hawaii. This resulted from the sugar trade. The United States government were very generous with Hawaiian sugar growers, and after the civil war, their profits increased exponentially. However, after Congress approved the McKinley Tariff in 1890, which raised rates on imported sugar, the relationship between the United States and Hawaii started to change. The products that the sugar planters made were being undersold, leading to a economic depression that spread around the islands. The sugar growers, which were mostly white Americans, knew that the economic problems would slowly disappear if Hawaii were to be annexed. At the same time, the throne of Hawaii went to Queen Liliuokalani, who thought the problem derived from foreign interaction.

Queen Liliuokalani