Editor’s note: This is part of a weekly series marking the 120th anniversary of Niles native William McKinley’s U.S. presidency.

President William McKinley signed the Newlands Congressional Resolution to annex Hawaii to the United States on July 7, 1898. The annexation of Hawaii was a long time coming. Ever since Hawaii was discovered by English explorer James Cook in 1778, Americans came to Hawaii to colonize and visit.

They came to Hawaii for a variety of reasons. New England whalers stopped to provision their boats. Protestant missionaries came to convert the native Hawaiians. American planters found the tropical climate ideal to grow sugar cane and establish plantations.

Washington officials for most of the 1800’s were concerned Hawaii might become a colony of a European nation. The U.S. government strongly discouraged the British and French governments from colonizing Hawaii after both governments signed economic treaties with Hawaii in the 1830’s.

The U.S. started becoming involved in the economic affairs of Hawaii in the 1830’s when the United States started importing sugar cane from Hawaii. The American sugar cane growers pushed the Hawaiian government to sign a reciprocity treaty with the U.S. in 1875 to lower the tariffs on sugar cane being imported to the states.

McKinley was well acquainted with Hawaii. His brother, David, served as the U.S. consul general to Hawaii from 1881 to 1885, and he also served as the consul general for the Hawaiian government to the West Coast of the U.S. from 1885 till his death in 1892.

The U.S. Navy’s growing ambitions in the Pacific region led the United States to lease the port at Pearl Harbor from Hawaii in 1887. Pearl Harbor was used a refueling station for the fleet and to protect the West Coast of the United States.

The American sugar cane growers began to dominate the economy and the politics in Hawaii. The McKinley Tariff of 1890 had lowered the tariffs on sugar imported to the United States from all countries with the exception of Hawaii. The sugar cane growers demanded that the Hawaiian government begin talks with the United States to lower the tariffs on Hawaiian sugar cane.

The grievances the American sugar cane growers had with the Hawaiian government about the sugar cane tariffs and the efforts Queen Liliuokalani to strengthen the monarchy led the American sugar cane growers to overthrow the Hawaiian government in January 1893. The navy assisted the Americans in the coup.

The new Hawaiian government under the leadership of American sugar cane grower Sanford Dole quickly sent a treaty requesting annexation to the United States. Dole hoped President Benjamin Harrison would quickly sign the treaty and send it to the Senate before President Grover Cleveland took office March 4, 1893. President Harrison did not sign the treaty before leaving office.

The treaty languished during the entire Cleveland presidency. Cleveland refused to sign the treaty because he was upset the U.S. military assisted in the overthrow of the Hawaiian government.

McKinley signed the treaty to annex Hawaii on June 14, 1897. He sent the treaty to the Senate for its approval. The Senate had a contentious debate on the treaty and it was defeated on Feb. 27, 1898, with only 46 senators voting for the treaty. The reason for the defeat was opponents of the treaty said the Hawaiian people were opposed to the annexation.

The outbreak of the Spanish-American War changed the thinking of the House and the Senate toward the annexation. The U.S. needed Hawaii to reinforce its presence in the Pacific region and to protect the West Coast of the United States. Japan was also considering occupying Hawaii.

The Congressional leaders realized there was still much opposition to the treaty in the Senate and the treaty would not receive the two-thirds vote needed for approval. U.S. Senator Francis Newlands suggested a congressional resolution annexing Hawaii approved by the House and Senate would need a simple majority. The Newlands Resolution was quickly passed by both chambers and sent to McKinley for his signature.

Patrick Finan of Cortland is the retired former library director of the McKinley Memorial Library in Niles.

columns@tribtoday.com