United States annexation of Hawaii

The United States annexed Hawaii in 1898 after a group of American businessmen and sugar planters, with U.S. support, overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy. They sought control over Hawaii’s strategic location and economic interests, especially sugar trade. The U.S. officially annexed Hawaii as a territory to expand its influence in the Pacific and establish military and commercial advantages. This decision was influenced by geopolitics, economic motives, and the desire for naval base access, culminating in Hawaii becoming a U.S. state in 1959.