The Impact of American Imperialism in Hawaii in the late 1800s

How did Americans feel about imperialism in Hawaii in the late 1800s?

a) Americans generally supported imperialism in Hawaii.
b) Americans were divided in their opinions about imperialism in Hawaii.
c) Americans were against imperialism in Hawaii.
d) Americans were indifferent to imperialism in Hawaii.

Answer:

Americans in the late 1800s were divided on their opinions about imperialism in Hawaii.

In the late 1800s, the American opinion on imperialism in Hawaii was divided (option b). While some Americans, particularly businessmen eager to capitalize on Hawaii's lucrative sugar industry, strongly supported imperialism, others were firmly against it.

The Anti-imperialist League, consisting of prominent figures like Mark Twain and Andrew Carnegie, opposed the United States building an empire and exerting imperial control over foreign territories. They were against the annexation of Hawaii and believed that such actions contradicted the principles of democracy and freedom on which the country was founded.

Some opposition stemmed from economic worries about competition from foreign workers while others were driven by xenophobia and fears that the assimilation of other races would adversely affect America.

Notably, however, the United States went ahead to annex Hawaii in 1898, during the Spanish-American War, following a period of political strife and an armed revolt staged by American businessmen who had vested interests in Hawaii's sugar industry. This period was characterized by increasing American international influence and overseas presence, bolstered largely by its economic strength and its military might, which was demonstrated during the war with Spain.

Despite disagreements over American empire building, these concerns were overruled by an American public and a government that emphasized the strategic importance of territories like Hawaii to the United States' standing as a global power. Indeed, the annexation of Hawaii was a part of a broader imperial goal of the United States, who also went after territories in Latin America and Asia, a trend that was prevalent among the industrialized nations of that era, including Great Britain.