Treaty of Annexation of Hawaii

What it is

This document is the 1897 Treaty of Annexation signed by representatives of the United States and the Republic of Hawaii. President McKinley signed it that June. It is held by the U.S. National Archives. The treaty would have ceded all sovereignty over the Hawaiian Islands to the United States.

Why it matters

Liliʻuokalani formally protested this treaty the day after it was signed, and Native Hawaiian delegates, including James Keauiluna Kaulia, David Kalauokalani, William Auld, and John Richardson, submitted the Kūʻē Petitions with thousands of signatures opposing annexation. The combined opposition helped the treaty fail in the U.S. Senate, showing organized resistance to the overthrow of the kingdom.

Look closer

• Why might the treaty's language describe annexation as something the Republic of Hawaii "cedes" rather than something imposed?
• What does the existence of thousands of opposing signatures tell you about how Hawaiians viewed this treaty?
• What voices are present, and which are missing, from the text of the treaty itself?