Today, Hawaii is considered the 50th state and a well-loved destination for tourists the world over. Hawaii and its citizens are just like those of any other US state, right? Not quite. A look into Hawaiis tumultuous history and how it became incorporated into the United States exposes shocking details surrounding the annexation of Hawaii and its transformation from an independent kingdom to US possession.The State of Hawaii in 1893A satellite view of Hawaii, 2003. Source: NASA / Wikimedia CommonsToday, there are 197 independent states existing in the world. However, in 1893, there were only 44. One of these was the Hawaiian Kingdom. Hawaii was governed under the authority of an executive monarch, maintaining relationships with countries and governments the world over. Hawaii maintained over 90 legations (comparable to an embassy) and consulates in different countries, including the United States. Located about 2,500 miles from the western coast of the United States, Hawaii was ruled by a queen, Lydia Kamakaeha Liluokalani.The economy was heavily tied to that of the United States, with whaling, sugar, and fruit industries becoming increasingly owned by US interests in the Hawaiian Kingdom as the 19th century progressed. There was even discussion of Hawaii joining the United States via annexation as a territory in the 1850s, but those talks were brought to a halt with changes in politics and time. Still, once the Civil War concluded and the US economy stabilized, American businesses dominated Hawaiis sugar industry. Businessmen played a large role in influencing the monarchy in order to improve their own interests.Further EntanglementA Hawaiian mill for the American-owned Olaa Sugar Company, 1902. Source: Library of CongressAs American companies began to increase their grip on Hawaii, the government was prodded to step in and take things further. The economies of the two countries became linked with a reciprocity agreement in 1875, which allowed Hawaii duty-free exports to America. However, in exchange for the privilege, the sugar industry in Hawaii had to remain under American control. This agreement increased American influence on the island, and by the last decade of the 19th century, 99% of Hawaiian exports were being shipped to the US mainland, and 76% of their imports were arriving from the United States. American businessmen not only controlled the economy but came to meddle in other aspects of Hawaiian daily life in order to serve their own interests. The American-controlled legislature became powerful, reducing the power of the monarch, who at that time was King David Kalakaua.Pressure Shifts Power FurtherKing David Kalakaua, circa 1882. Source: Hawaii State Archives / Wikimedia CommonsIn 1888, the American businessmen in Hawaii decided to push further than they ever had before in order to increase their reach into Hawaiian politics. A new constitution was proposed and presented to King Kalakaua. While Kalakaua had no desire to sign the constitution, which would have further reduced his power and that of his people, he felt he had no choice. The American-controlled legislature and economy left him without recourse, and the new document went into effect. This constitution limited monarchical power and authority. Land ownership was a requirement for voting, and native Hawaiians, along with Chinese and Japanese immigrants who had moved to Hawaii for work in the sugar fields, were denied the right to participate in the political process.The planters that controlled Hawaiis economy now largely controlled its government. The new constitutional document became known as the bayonet constitution due to the pressure on Kalakaua to sign it. To further the blow, in 1890, the US Congress passed the McKinley Tariff, doing away with the previous reciprocity agreement between the two nations. It gave other nations the privilege of tariff-free trade with the United States, including other sugar-producing countries. As a result, the price of sugar dropped. Those involved in American sugar interests in Hawaii once again began discussing annexation.A Determined QueenA signed photo of Liliuokalani, 1891. Source: James J Williams / Wikimedia CommonsIn 1891, the disgraced King David Kalakaua died, and his sister became Queen Liliuokalani. The queen was determined to free Hawaii from the American grasp and restore her peoples natural rights, both politically and as humans. The queen spoke fluent English and was determined to regain her country without violence. She was beloved by her people, an excellent scholar, and a wonderful musician. She composed over 150 songs in her lifetime, with the most famous being Aloha Oe.Despite her skills and convictions, Liliuokalani faced insurmountable resistance. Her first order of business as queen was to attempt to repair the Bayonet Constitution, but when the business class learned of her intentions, plans were put in place to silence Liliuokalani and any power she had remaining. While Liliuokalani was the first queen of Hawaii, she would also be the last.Islands Under AttackQueen Liliuokalani, 1898. Source: George Prince / Wikimedia CommonsOn January 16, 1893, a group of American businessmen, mostly sugar and pineapple growers, staged a coup against the queen and the existing Hawaiian government. This was accomplished with support from the US military, instigated by the US minister to Hawaii, John L. Stevens.Stevens assembled marines and a warship, the U.S.S. Boston, to help achieve the success of the coup. Determined to avoid bloodshed, the queen voluntarily abdicated her throne. In her terms of conditional surrender, she asserted that she would give up her authority until such time as the US government would come to her aid and undo the action of its representatives. She immediately contacted the president of the United States, Benjamin Harrison, calling upon him to do so. However, Harrison refused and signed an annexation treaty to send to the US Congress for confirmation. However, it was the end of his term, and before the treaty was ratified, the new president, Grover Cleveland, withdrew it.President Cleveland InvestigatesGrover Cleveland, portrait and signature, 1892. Source: Grover Cleveland / Wikimedia CommonsPresident Cleveland had concerns about US actions in Hawaii and sent special commissioner James Blount to Hawaii to investigate the situation and report back. Blount spent April-July researching and compiling facts in Hawaii, and in October, his supervisor, Secretary-of-State Walter Gresham, reported to the president. Blount and Gresham asserted that the queen had only surrendered under fear that Hawaii was under direct threat of war from the United States and recommended that her power be restored. Meanwhile, Sanford Dole, a son of Christian missionaries and a relative of the Dole fruit magnates, was named president of the Republic of Hawaii. He approached Cleveland once again for annexation and was denied, Cleveland calling him and other members of the provisional government insurgents. Despite his efforts, Congress views did not align with Clevelands, and he eventually gave up on his attempts to restore the queen.Annexation Attempts ContinueLiliuokalanis Letter of Protest, 1898. Source: National ArchivesA series of rebellions erupted in Hawaii as the native population attempted to restore its government. Upon the failure of such an uprising in 1895, known as the Wilcox Rebellion, Queen Liliuokalani was imprisoned along with the leaders of the revolt.Annexation was proposed again with a new president, William McKinley, in 1897. McKinley was in favor of the measure but was stopped by a petition against the annexation, signed by 21,269 native Hawaiian people (there were only about 30,000 native and mixed-race Hawaiians on the islands at the time). Liliuokalani herself delivered the petition to Congress, who defeated the annexation treaty. However, the onset of the Spanish-American War made the US government realize the value of Hawaii as a military base in the Pacific. Annexation would finally occur on July 7, 1898, and Sanford Dole was officially installed as governor. Liliuokalani made one final attempt to stand up for her monarchy and people, writing a letter of protest to the US House of Representatives, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. As a territory, Hawaii was granted a single, non-voting representative in the House.What is Hawaiis Legal Status Today?The inverted Hawaiian flag has come to symbolize the Hawaiian sovereignty movement. Source: Wikimedia CommonsHawaii became the 50th state in 1959. However, is this status legal, considering the established illegal actions that were taken to get there? The measure was passed by a referendum ballot, with over 90% of voters moving to join the United States. Some say that Hawaii became a state illegally, as the path to get there violated several United Nations statutes. In addition, opponents argue that the ballot didnt give voters the option to return to independence. They say voters were assaulted by US-oriented propaganda, and since voters were only required to live on the islands for a year, many US citizens, including servicemen, were part of the vote. Areas with high numbers of native Hawaiian populations overwhelmingly voted against statehood.A 1993 apology issued as the result of a joint resolution in Congress calls the overthrow illegal, further questioning legal statehood. If a group or organization chose to pursue the stance that Hawaii was incorporated into the United States illegally, they would certainly have a legal basis on which to do so.