Why did the U.S. take over Hawaii?

Question

Why did the U.S. have to be so imperialistic? Why not just leave Hawaii for the Hawaiians?

If you think about it, the attack on Pearl Harbour wasn't so much of an attack on the U.S. as it was on their navy ships being there. The U.S. military didn't really have more of a right to be there than anyone else.

Answer 1

It was a war prize. The people of Hawaii never had a choice. All the choosing took place in Washington. It was a territory for a long time, until the Japanese expanded eastward.

The Hawaiians like your idea. Let them vote on it, and the flag will have 49 stars.

Aloha means - Thanks for your invited visit, we hope you enjoyed dinner, now it's time for you to go home.

Ha'ole means - You were not invited, you ate all our food, now you won't leave.

I know this because my aumakua is Rainbow Trout.

Answer 2

Good question and probably something that most Americans don't even think about to be honest. We tend to accept things as they are now without questioning in the manner that you've done here. I applaud you.

Yes, the U.S. was imperialistic. Of course. There was something called the Manifest Destiny, which was a belief that it was the U.S.'s destiny that all of North America be the U.S.

Right. Try telling that to the average Canadian, Mexican, Guatemalan, etc.

Americans tend to emotionalize Pearl Harbour. Obviously it was a military strike by Japan. Japan was of course imperialistic itself and had its own interests at sake, mainly not having American warships around blocking passage of fuel and other goodies enroute to Japan.

One has to wonder about the Hawaiians themselves. Of course some people say that these people chose to be a state, but isn't the reality that they didn't have much choice?

What else could they choose? It's not like the U.S. was going to leave. You can choose between this being a state, and all that that means, or you can choose to be a territory occupied by our armed forces. Not much of a choice.

Good for you for thinking outside of the box.

Answer 3

Hawaii was a territory of the United States and when Japan attacked the US Navy ships and other US Military targets, plus civillians at Pearl Harbor,
that was an attack against the United States and Hawaii voted to become a state of the US and the United States of America IS NOT imperialistic.

Answer 4

Hawaii became a US Possesion during the Spanish American War of 1898, there was no resistance, and there was blood shed. Hawaii was needed as a coaling station for our steam navy, that is why we also took possession of Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines from Spain during that war also. Coal was a vital nessesity not so much for owur waqrships but the merchent fleets, owned by merican Buisnesses. Japan had no right to bomb anyone, they had been butchering the Chinese mainland since 1933, and also Japan was spreding over all of south east Asia and into the Pacific Islands. By 1941 Japan needed more ports for there planned domination of the Entire Pacific, and Perl harbor was a much desird port. Hawaiians are Polanisian, not Oriental, they wanted the US there, they prospered , and where not harrassed or killed as the Spanish had done to other Island nations in the Past, adn Japan was doing all over the Pacific.
the US was not at war with Japan, Japan planned a sneak attack, one that the man who planned the attack , Admiral Yamamoto, warned Japan that it was the wrong thing to do, because he had studied in the US and knew they would not roll over and give up there Pacific Islands, but would destroy Japans Imperialistic goals and fighting ability, He also said they would 6 months of victories, afte taht it would a down hill battle, and he was 100% right in his prediction. hawaii became a state in 1959 on it's own decision, very few voted against statehood. the US imperial goals where the smallest of any world power to this date. We even re-built Japans entire economic system after WWII, and today Japan is a world economic top 5 power and one of our closest Allies.

Answer 5

Here are some facts you don't know. First originally we only wanted to use Pearl Harbor as a refueling base for the fleet. During the time after the war of 1898 the Japanese had made inquires about annexing Hawaii, we didn't take it seriously until there war of expansion started in the early 30's and Japan once again made inquires into Hawaii, that's when we develope a naval base there and made Hawaii a protectorate and in 1940 moved the Pacific Fleet from San Diego to Pearl Harbor for two reasons, one to give the Japanese pause concerning there war, and second to contain any further expansion east which meant Hawaii.

Answer 6

The US doesn't take over anything. A referendum was voted on by the population of Hawaii to stay independent or become the 50th state of the United States. They chose to become the50th state.

I don't understand your point regarding the second question. Pearl Harbor was the home to the sixth fleet at the time of the Pearl attack. The fleet had every right to be there.

Answer 7

So??? It's done. This may come as a shock to you, but most countries were "imperialistic" at one point or another. If we weren't there and Hawaii wasn't a protectorate of the US the chances are that the Japanese would have occupied the Islands. Try living in the real world.

Answer 8

FLYING HYPOCRITE - he tells military wives to divorce their husbands cause he doesn't believe in what they are doing.



Do you have any links (original poster)? The extent of my knowledge about Hawaii is quite old, I haven't been in school in 20 yrs and what I remember is about Pearl Harbor, and I know they are a state. So I'm open to reading whatever you send.

Answer 9

Did the Hawaiians wish to be taken over by imperialist Japan? That would have become a staging ground to attack California. I don't think Japan is into surfing dude. But we know who you would have routed for. Maybe we should have stayed out of the European theater. Who was more imperalistic than the UK, Rome?

Answer 10

Greed and racism motivated the descendants of the missionaries and their cronies to overthrow the lawful, sovereign Kingdom of Hawai'i. Read Queen Lili'uokalani's digitized book on the subject: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/liliuokalani/hawaii/hawaii.html

Answer 11

Actually the annexation of Hawaii was mostly economic. It was lead by the sugar industry. Here what I found on the State Department web site:

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/gp/17661.htm