Question

The United States annexed Hawaii because
A) Queen Liliuokalani executed several foreign merchants.
B) the United States needed naval stations in the Pacific and American investment in tropical plantations.
C) Hawaiians requested American protection.
D) the Boxers started a rebellion.

Answer 1

B) the United States needed naval stations in the Pacific and American investment in tropical plantations.

Answer 2

America's annexation of Hawaii in 1898 extended U.S. territory into the Pacific and highlighted resulted from economic integration and the rise of the United States as a Pacific power. For most of the 1800s, leaders in Washington were concerned that Hawaii might become part of a European nation's empire. During the 1830s, Britain and France forced Hawaii to accept treaties giving them economic privileges. In 1842, Secretary of State Daniel Webster sent a letter to Hawaiian agents in Washington affirming U.S. interests in Hawaii and opposing annexation by any other nation. He also proposed to Great Britain and France that no nation should seek special privileges or engage in further colonization of the islands. In 1849, the United States and Hawaii concluded a treaty of friendship that served as the basis of official relations between the parties.