The annexation of Hawaii by the United States in 1898 remains a controversial chapter in American history, particularly for Native Hawaiians who have long criticized the loss of their sovereignty.
This event, widely condemned by the Hawaiian populace and later by the U.S. government itself through a 1993 congressional apology, marked the end of an independent kingdom and initiated America’s imperial presence in the Pacific.
While often perceived primarily as a conflict between Pacific powers and American imperial ambitions, the path to annexation was significantly shaped by forces outside the East Coast political sphere.
Remarkably, a midwestern state, Wisconsin, played a surprisingly formative role in this historical narrative.
AMERICAN EYES ON THE PACIFIC
Before the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani in 1893, American missionaries and merchants had already established a profound presence in Hawaii.
The arrival of the first wave of Protestant missionaries from New England in 1820 initiated a transformation that introduced Christianity, Western education, and a restructuring of Hawaiian governance and land use.
Over time, the descendants of these missionaries became influential figures in plantation ownership, banking, and politics, which helped develop an economy heavily reliant on trade with the United States.
By the late 19th century, the U.S. began viewing Hawaii as not just a critical trading hub but also as a strategic military asset, particularly in light of Alfred Thayer Mahan’s naval doctrine that called for coaling stations and control over the Pacific.
The establishment of a U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in 1887, achieved through a coercive treaty, further set the groundwork for full annexation.
However, while the focus was on U.S. military and economic ambitions, the role of Wisconsin’s influence was subtler yet significant.
WISCONSIN MISSIONARIES AND MORAL IMPERIALISM
During the 19th century, Wisconsin’s Lutheran and Congregationalist communities contributed missionaries to Hawaii.
These individuals were instrumental in establishing schools, churches, and boarding institutions that slowly began to erode Native Hawaiian culture and language under the guise of Christianization.
Although the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod did not have a direct presence in Hawaii during this period, its theological perspectives were aligned with the broader American Protestant mindset which often framed expansion as a divine obligation.
Importantly, these church-led initiatives were not merely efforts to spread the Gospel.
They facilitated the development of educational and cultural institutions that imposed Western norms, including an English-only curriculum and the suppression of traditional Hawaiian practices.
As this cultural imperialism gained traction, it led to a generation of islanders who became economically and linguistically tied to the United States.
MIDWESTERN MONEY MEETS ISLAND SUGAR
Missionary work represented only one dimension of influence over Hawaii.
As the sugar industry emerged as the dominant economic force in Hawaii, investment from Northern business interests began to flow into the islands.
Several Wisconsin investors, including banking firms from Milwaukee, were instrumental in financing sugar production and land acquisitions during the late 1800s.
These financial connections, often discreetly routed through larger East Coast firms or stockholder arrangements, enabled Wisconsin business interests to play a significant role in Hawaii’s economy.
Rather than viewing Hawaiian cane sugar as competition, Wisconsin’s beet sugar industry regarded it as a strategic alliance that could stabilize U.S. sugar markets.
Trade journals from the period indicate that Wisconsin sugar manufacturers actively lobbied for the annexation bill to gain tariff-free access to Hawaiian sugar imports.
Wisconsin’s political influence was also notable, as several representatives and senators from the state supported the Newlands Resolution, even if they did not spearhead its drafting.
Editorials in local newspapers promoted annexation, mirroring the racialized and economic arguments prevalent in the national discourse, which characterized Hawaiian people as “unfit” for self-governance and expressed the belief that U.S. intervention would bring “civilization and order.”
FROM THE MIDWEST TO MONARCHY’S FALL
The most troubling aspect of Wisconsin’s connection to Hawaii became evident in the aftermath of the 1893 coup that overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy.
While this coup was orchestrated by American businessmen and supported by U.S. Marines, the ideological and moral justifications for such actions had been cultivated by supporters on the mainland.
Academics from the University of Wisconsin contributed to the prevailing narrative that justified imperial expansion through concepts such as Manifest Destiny and racial determinism.
At least two professors from the university published essays advocating for annexation in national periodicals, portraying it as a civilizational obligation.
Although their names may not be prominently of historical note today, their ideologies played a key role in shaping the environment that allowed for U.S. intervention.
Moreover, Wisconsin clergy in Hawaii celebrated the overthrow of the monarchy as a “divine blessing” in their sermons, further lending moral sanction to the annexation efforts.
A QUIET COMPLICITY IN EMPIRE
Interestingly, Wisconsin’s involvement in Hawaii’s annexation has rarely been recorded in the state’s historical narratives, nor have its institutions taken ownership of this legacy.
Yet archival documents, such as letters, church newsletters, corporate records, and political editorials, reveal a complicated tapestry of influence.
It was not the brash voice of overt conquest that characterized Wisconsin’s role, but rather a persistent endorsement of imperial action, underscored by prevailing Midwestern moral beliefs that aligned with the broader objectives of U.S. expansion.
During the time of Hawaii’s annexation, Wisconsin was still grappling with its own violent history regarding the displacement of Indigenous peoples such as the Ho-Chunk and Ojibwe.
The connections between Wisconsin and Hawaii were profound, albeit subtle, as the state contributed to a network of cultural and economic forces that undermined the Hawaiian monarchy from the inside.
FROM CULTURAL IMPERIALISM TO MODERN RECKONING
As the U.S. grapples with contemporary discussions about historical memory and systemic injustices, the annexation of Hawaii serves as a critical reflection point for moral clarity.
The quiet complicity of 1898 cannot be altered, but its lessons remain urgent, particularly for states like Wisconsin.
This necessitates a profound acknowledgment of Wisconsin’s history in relation not only to racial issues within state boundaries but also in how its institutions and denizens contributed to the expansion of American influence abroad.
It is essential to confront the reality that the Midwestern virtue often served to mask imperial interests, revealing that a state famous for its progressive values also enabled conquest beneath the guise of Christian duty and economic ambition.
This legacy challenges the notion that colonization was an exclusive coastal endeavor, prompting Wisconsinites today to not only consider what their predecessors did, but also the moral decisions they opted not to act upon.
In the summer of 1898, the U.S. formally claimed the Hawaiian Islands.
While Wisconsin did not raise the national flag over Hawaii, it played a significant role in fabricating the very fabric of an annexation that exploited and oppressed.
The history of Wisconsin’s involvement in Hawaii remains a crucial chapter that deserves recognition, as its influence continues to resonate in discussions around historical accountability and the quest for justice among Native Hawaiians.
image source from：milwaukeeindependent
