Hawaii Becomes a State

Hawaii is a group of islands west of the Pacific Coast of the United States. These islands are about 2,000 miles from the continental United States. In the early 1800s, American ships began arriving in Hawaii to stop for supplies on their way to and from Asia.

Before long, missionaries arrived in Hawaii to teach religion and to try to convert people. Some of these missionaries became business people. They began purchasing land for sugar plantations. These Americans soon took over and began running the islands. In 1891, Liliuokalani was named the new queen of Hawaii. She made the decision that a foreigner could not rule Hawaii. The plantation owners were concerned. The queen was overthrown by the people who then asked the United States government to take over Hawaii.

President Grover Cleveland was president of the United States at the time. He didn’t think it was right to overthrow the queen and take over another country. But as time went on, William McKinley became president of the United States. He felt differently about Hawaii. President McKinley and Congress agreed to make Hawaii a territory of the United States. Many years later, in 1959, Hawaii became a state. In fact, Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States.