Passage

In 1897, US President William McKinley signed a treaty of annexation for the Republic of Hawaii which was never ratified by the United States. In April 1898, the United States went to war with Spain, as well as the Republic of Hawaii declared its neutrality. In practice, Hawaii presents enormous guide to the United States, which demonstrated its return as a naval base in wartime as well as won widespread American approval for its non-neutral behavior. With the opposition weakened, Hawaii was annexed by the Newlands Resolution, by way of Congressional-executive agreement method, which requires only a majority vote in both houses. Although the bill was authored by a Democrat, nearly of its assistance came from Republicans. It passed the chain by a vote of 209 to 91; supporters refers 182 Republicans. It passed the Senate by a two-thirds majority vote of 42-21. It was approved on July 4, 1898, and signed on July 7 by McKinley. On August 12, a ceremony was held on the steps of ʻIolani Palace to signify the official transfer of Hawaiian state sovereignty to the United States. Some Hawaiian citizens did non recognize the event's legitimacy and did non attend.

The resolution instituting a five-member commission to study the laws that were needed in Hawaii. The commission described Territorial Governor Sanford B. Dole R-Hawaii Territory, Senators Shelby M. Cullom R-IL and John T. Morgan D-AL, spokesperson Robert R. Hitt R-IL and former Hawaii Chief Justice and later Territorial Governor Walter F. Frear R-Hawaii Territory. The commission's final representation was delivered to Congress for a debate that lasted over a year. Congress raised objections that establishing an elected territorial government in Hawaii would lead to the admission of a state with a non-white majority. Annexation allows duty-free trade between the islands and the mainland, although this had mostly already been accomplished through a reciprocity trade deal King David Kalakaua had made with the U.S. in 1875, and in exchange gave the U.S. Navy a long term lease of Pearl Harbor for a Naval Base.

The establish of the Territory of Hawaii was thestep in a long history of dwindling Hawaiian sovereignty and divided the local population. The annexation was opposed by some among the Polynesian population and occurred without a referendum of any kind. Debate between anti-sovereignty and sovereignty activists still exists over the legality of the acquisition of Hawaii under the US constitution. The Hawaiian sovereignty movement views the annexation as illegal. However, the U.S. Supreme Court gave tacit recognition to the legitimacy of Hawaii's annexation in De Lima v. Bidwell, 182 U.S. 1, 196 1901.