The Hawaiian ConquestThe annexation of Hawaii was a major event in world history. It is still not easy for Hawaiians to accept the fact that America has conquered land 2,500 miles from the West Coast. In 1917 Hawaii was considered the fiftieth state supported by the islanders after a plebiscite. Queen Lydia Kamakaeha Liliuokalani was overthrown due to the United States Army and Naval Forces' support of a group of businessmen belonging to the sugar and pineapple industries. The United States military was ordered to provide this support to Hawaii as directed by the United States Secretary of State. In reality they were missionaries who had already been welcomed for several years by the Hawaiians who did not foresee the annexation in advance. They later became influential politicians and destabilized the monarchy. They indirectly wanted Hawaii to become part of the United States so that they would not have to face the dilemma of paying taxes. Despite her request to “undo the actions of her representatives,” the US government did not allow her to access the throne again. One side of the story the businessmen told was that the reason they overthrew the queen was because the regime was corrupt and profligate. They were more interested in establishing advanced democratic principles. The Western power wanted to acquire the island because of its rich coal station and a promising naval base. The native population became an ethnic minority in 1891 due to Western diseases, to which they were vulnerable, such as cholera, smallpox and leprosy. America used imperial force to reach Hawaii (Thurston 1897). Imperialism, as it is defined, is an extension of one country's ideals and values ​​over another nation, and... middle of paper... having more land naturally meant having more room for immigrants and new opportunities. . When the business expanded, it meant more wealth for the entrepreneur. After the annexation of Hawaii, natural resources were appreciated by both America and Hawaii. Despite the fact that Hawaii was annexed during the war with Spain as a strategic move, America paid great attention to the expansion of the island (Thurston 1897). Works Cited Brown, DeSoto. "Beautiful and romantic Hawaii: how the fantasy image was born." The newspaper of decorative and propaganda arts. 20 (1994): 252-271. Kualapai, Lydia. “The Queen Answers: Queen of Hawaii's Lili'uokalani's Story of Hawaii.” Studies in American Indian literature. 17.2 (2005): 32-62. Thurston, Lorrin A. "A Handbook on the Annexation of Hawaii." Foreign and Commonwealth Office Collection (1897).