Hawaii's Involvement In World War I

When the U.S. declared independence from Britain on July 4th, 1776, it sparked the Revolutionary War. After they won their independence and the war, America developed into its own country. They developed their government and expanded westward. From 13 colonies to 50 states, America eventually became a global superpower and remains so today. However, all this couldn’t have happened out of nowhere. There had to be something that caused them to rise to where they are now. While some say their rise to power was pure luck, factors contributing to it were the Spanish-American War, Hawaii's annexation, and their involvement in World War I.

When America was still a young, developing nation, it was vulnerable to the many dominating European empires.
Before that, Hawaii was an independent nation with a monarchy. They have a culture and language, along with a rich history. They encouraged people to learn, but that would slowly be taken away as American proprietors flooded Hawaii to start their businesses. The warm climate in Hawaii is perfect for the fruit business, especially for sugar. Soon enough, white men dominated Hawaii and overthrew the monarchy in a coup on January 17th, 1893. They prevented the indigenous Hawaiians from doing their traditions. “The Committee of Safety declared itself to be a short-term government for Hawaii. Without permission from the U.S. State Department, Minister John Stevens recognized the Committee of Safety as the new government and proclaimed Hawaii as an American territory.” (National Archives) With this provisional government, America aimed to gain control of Hawaii and eventually annex it. The monarch, Queen Liliuokalani, never regained control and the new governor of Hawaii, Sanford Dole, refused to give up his new power. Liliuokalani wouldn’t give up and gathered signatures from the indigenous Hawaiian people who were against the annexation. The signatures in total totaled 21,269. The Senate quickly accepted it, but with the Spanish-American war happening, talks of annexation rose. In the end, the Hawaiians were powerless against America and were eventually annexed. As America gained more territory, its rise to power would soon become clear to all