Annexation of Hawaii

Interest in Hawaii had begun as early as the 1820s, when missionaries from New England attempted to spread their faith. As a result of their efforts, Hawaii became more Americanized- Honolulu started to resemble a New England town.
America warned off European powers in the 1840s, and additional treaties in the 1870s and 1880s allowed America to assert more power in the islands. However, Hawaii did not become a truly valuable asset until the rise of sugar cultivation.
Sugar cane was already present in Hawaii when Captain James Cook discovered the islands in the 1770s. At the time, Hawaiians did not know how to refine sugar; they merely chewed the stalks. The first sugar cane plantation was established in 1835 by Ladd and Company in at Koloa, Kauai. As smaller plantations started to prosper, businessmen became interested in the prospects of sugar as an exportable product to bring in revenue to the Hawaiian Kingdom. Hawaiian sugar demand became extremely popular during the Civil War, due to the fact that agriculture in the South during the war was virtually destroyed.
In 1890, the McKinley Tariff Act was passed, which increased tax for imported sugar from Hawaii, and decreased the tax for domestic sugar. As a result of the Tariff Act, many plantation owners and businessmen believed that the best way for taxes on sugar to lower was to annex Hawaii into the United States.
However, the strong-willed Queen Liliuokalani opposed efforts by Americans to annex Hawaii. She tried to gain back the power of the ruling class that had been lessened by the treaties signed earlier in the 1870s and 1880s. Her strong stance was unpopular with the businessmen in Hawaii, so they staged a coup and overthrew her, with the assistance of the US marines. Sanford Dole was appointed president of the Republic of Hawaii.
Grover Cleveland sent a probe to Hawaii to assess sentiments towards annexation. Most native Hawaiians were violently opposed towards annexation, but the American public strongly favored it. Cleveland was anti-imperialist and believed that American actions taken in Hawaii were wrong, so he left the question of annexation for the next president- William McKinley.
It was not until the Spanish-American War that Hawaii really came into play again. The naval bases in Hawaii were highly useful for the American navy en route to Spain. McKinley signed a resolution that annexed the islands in 1898. Technically, the Hawaii annexation was unconstitutional, as 2/3 of Congress did not agree that Hawaii should be annexed.

The annexation of the islands sparked a lot of controversy, especially among the native people. The government was established without the consent of the governed, and the native people were denied the vote, which caused many resentful feelings towards the US government. Many Americans believed that the annexation of Hawaii was just another example of "survival of the fittest", but in reality, the culture of many indigenous people was stamped out, and their land stolen by giant corporations. The native Hawaiians had no choice or say in this matter, and their feeling of powerlessness was very prominent.
There has been great debate over whether the annexation of Hawaii was beneficial or not. If the annexation of Hawaii had been accomplished through more constitutional and moral ways, instead of the harsh overthrow of a century-old monarchy, the annexation would not have been as upsetting to the native Hawaiians. Feelings between the two territories would have been more friendly, and there would not be as big of a disconnect between the two peoples.

Sources:
http://www.history.com/topics/liliuokalani
https://grovefarm.org/kauai-history/
http://www.ushistory.org/us/44b.asp
http://www.britannica.com/place/United-States/History#ref612939
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