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What was the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875?

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The Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 was a free-trade agreement between the United States and the Hawaiian Kingdom that allowed duty-free Hawaiian exports to the U.S., primarily sugar, in exchange for economic privileges for the United States. When it was renewed in 1887, it also granted the United States access to what would become Pearl Harbor to maintain a coaling and repair station for U.S. vessels to use.

The treaty increased Hawaii’s economic dependence on the United States and also strengthened American political and strategic influence in Hawaii, which helped lay the groundwork for the Hawaiian Islands’ eventual annexation by the U.S. in 1898.