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How was Hawaii acquired by the U.S.?
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Historical map from 1902 showing the Philippine Islands on the left and the Hawaiian Islands on the right, with detailed insets of Manila and its vicinity and of Honolulu and Pearl Harbor. The map includes old place names and coastal features, reflecting early 20th-century geography. Black and white portrait of King Kalakaua of Hawaii seated at center between John Dominis and J.M. Kapena, and Luther Severance and Henry A. Peirce standing behind, all in formal attire. Black and white portrait of Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii, circa 1887, wearing a formal gown with a sash and decorative jewelry, looking slightly to the side. U.S. Navy troops from the U.S.S. Boston stand in formation with rifles outside the Arlington Hotel in Honolulu, Oahu, surrounded by trees during the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

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Historical map from 1902 showing the Philippine Islands on the left and the Hawaiian Islands on the right, with detailed insets of Manila and its vicinity and of Honolulu and Pearl Harbor. The map includes old place names and coastal features, reflecting early 20th-century geography.
Hawaiian Islands Map of the Hawaiian Islands (right) and the Philippines, from the 10th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, published in 1902.

How was Hawaii acquired by the U.S.?

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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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•History

Hawaii was acquired by the United States through a series of controversial political maneuvers and treaties that culminated in its annexation in 1898. It later became a U.S. territory (1900), and then a U.S. state (1959). After the Hawaiian Islands were charted in the late 18th century, American and European merchants, missionaries, and settlers began arriving there in earnest in the 1800s. These settlers and their descendants, particularly those involved in the sugar industry, sought...

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