Committee: Annexation of Hawaii JCC
Chair: Pilar Valdes
PO/Vice Chair:
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Table of Contents
3. Letter from Chair
4. Members of Committee
5. Committee Background
6. Topic 1. Increasing Relations/ Annexing Hawaii
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Letter From the Chair
Hello Delegates!
My name is Pilar Valdes and I am so excited to be your chair for LYMUN III! I began my model
UN career at the beginning of my freshmen year and I am currently a sophomore here at Lyons
Township. Last year I was a political officer for the Congress of Berlin at LYMUN II.
I am very excited to be a chair for this committee and hope we can have an enlightening
conversation about the annexation of Hawaii. My hopes for this committee are that we work cohesively to
find the most appropriate way to overthrow the monarchy in Hawaii and annex them to become a part of
the United States. It should be discussed how you would like to approach this problem and if the
overthrow should be peaceful and what the benefits of an annexed Hawaii will be for the members in the
committee. Each delegate has personal ties that would make the annexation of Hawaii beneficial for them:
whether it be religious, economic or otherwise, each delegate is driven by something. This should be
discussed and how each delegate’s industry will be impacted should be a driving force behind the
discussion.
For awards, you do need to have a position paper to be considered for an award, although the
content will not go into the decision. I will be judging mostly on speaking ability, but remember that in
most cases quantity comes before quality, not every speech you give has to be perfect, as long as you are
getting up and speaking I will be pleased.
Again I am so excited to see all of you at LYMUNIII. If you have any questions about your
positions papers or anything else about the committee, feel free to contact me at
[email protected].
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Members in Committee:
1.) William R. Castle: Hawaiian lawyer and politician. Supported the annexation of Hawaii by
the United States. Member of the Missionary Party whose goal was to create a Christian nation
in Hawaii.
2.) William O. Smith: Lawyer and politician in Hawaii. Came from a family of missionaries.
Served as the attorney general in the provisional government. Founded a law firm with Lorrin A.
Thurston. Drafted the 1887 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He became the attorney
general of Hawaii and later served as the president of the board of health.
3.) Peter C. Jones: Businessman and politician in Hawaii. Was an agent for several sugar
plantations on the Hawaiian Islands. Minister of Finance of the provisional government. Founded
the Hawaiian Safe Deposit and Investment Company.
4.) Sanford B. Dole: Prominent Hawaiian lawyer and jurist. He acted for the interest of the
American sugar market. Led the coup d’états to overthrow the monarchy and create a provisional
government. Became the president of the provisional government. Ignored Grover Cleveland's
request to restore the monarchy.
5.) Benjamin F. Dillingham: Businessman and industrialist in Hawaii. Owned the Oahu Railway
& Land Company, which established a sugar market on the island of O’ahu. His railways formed
a line of travel between the sugar and pineapple plantations on the island.
6.) Lorrin A. Thurston: Opposed the monarchy in Hawaii and favored American annexation.
Advocated for the end of corruption in the monarchy. He drafted a new constitution and joined
the reformation cabinet as the Minister of the Interior. He worked to develop Hawaii’s tourist
and pineapple industry.
7.) George N. Wilcox: Businessman and politician in Hawaii. Designed an irrigation system to
aid in the growing of sugarcane. He invested in the sugarcane industry and bought a fertilizer and
steamboat company.
8.) Samuel M. Damon: Businessman and politician in Hawaii. Member of the Board of
Education and Health under the rule of King Kalākaua, and later became the minister of finance.
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He was good friends with Queen Liliuokalani, and was out of town when the Committee of
Safety overthrew her. He helped negotiate a peaceful surrender. Served as the vice president of
the provisional government.
9.) Henry E. Cooper: American lawyer who lived in Hawaii. Served as the first attorney general
of the territory of Hawaii. Was the chairman of the committee of public safety, and wanted the
US to engage in the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy.
10.) James A. King: A Scottish ship master who became involved in Hawaiian politics. Made the
minister of the interior for the provisional government. Served as the minister of the interior for
the republic of Hawaii.
11.) John L. Stevens: United States Minister to the Kingdom of Hawaii. Accused of conspiring to
overthrow the Queen. Was forced into retirement after the overthrow of the Hawaiian
government.
12.) William McKinley: President after Cleveland. Was in favor of the annexation to increase
sugar trade. Signed a joint resolution with Hawaii to become a territory of the US.
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A Brief History:
The Hawaiian Islands were discovered by the western world in 1778 by Captain James
Cook, a British explorer. Cook named the islands the Sandwich Islands after the British Earl of
Sandwich. Hawaii was placed under British rule until 1810, when King Kamehameha I united
the Hawaiian Islands under his rule. Great Britain and France issued a formal declaration of
Hawaiian independence in 1843, after the United States recognized its independence in 1826.
The United States increased diplomatic presence with the appointment of David L. Gregg as
United States commissioner to the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1853. A decade later in 1863 James
McBride was named the first United States minister to the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Along with the increase of diplomacy, the United States recognized the benefits of an
increased trade relation with Hawaii. In 1826 the first of two treaties regarding friendship,
commerce, and navigation between the United States and Hawaii were written and signed.
Although both countries acted in accordance with the treaty’s articles, they were never ratified
by the United States Congress. Later, in 1849, the United States and Hawaii signed another
treaty along the same lines as the one signed in 1826, and this was officially ratified by the
United States Congress. In 1875 a treaty was ratified, allowing for duty- free import of Hawaiian
agricultural products into the United States.
Furthermore, the United States established its presence in the 1820s when whaling was a
popular industry. Because of the higher population of whales in the Pacific Ocean as opposed to
the Atlantic Ocean, Hawaii was the perfect place to establish an American whaling industry. By
1860, the whaling industry as a whole was on the decline because of the increase of the use of
steel, meaning the United States’ presence in Hawaii was also declining. Because of this, the
sugar cane industry was able to become one of the most profitable commercial trade industries
due in large part to the climate and soil of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaii also became a popular nation for missionaries, beginning with the arrival of New
England Protestants in the 1820s. And later the arrival of Roman Catholic missionaries, many of
whom came in hope of reforming the native people of Hawaii and baptizing them as Catholics.
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Topic 1: Increasing Relations/ Annexing Hawaii (1890-1893)
By the 1820s, the United States had
officially recognized Hawaii as its own independent
kingdom. Despite this, the United States
government saw the benefits of increasing relations
and trade between the two nations, mainly due to
Hawaii’s proximity to the United States. The United
States government also agreed that it was in the
United States’ best interest to keep European powers out of Hawaii. In addition, Hawaii was
home to fertile soil that was perfect for the mass farming of pineapple and sugar cane. Hawaii,
although not a third world country, was not
entirely developed in terms of industry, so the
United States also saw the benefit of investing
in railroads and other modern forms of
transportation on the island.
Sugar growers on the island began to
demand a say in the Kingdom’s politics, due in
large part to the influence politics had over the
buying and selling of sugar. By 1887, the prominent sugar growers on the island joined together
to execute the Rebellion of 1887 and King Kalākaua was forced to sign the Bayonet
Constitution, which greatly limited his power. The new constitution stated that only those who
owned property of a value of above three thousand dollars and a yearly income above six
thousand could participate in government, a law that greatly limited political participation for
most of the citizens on the island.
In 1890, the United States congress passed the
McKinley tariff, which raised import rates on foreign sugar.
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This hit the Hawaiian Islands hard, and caused a national recession. The American sugar growers
on the islands saw the benefits to the annexation of Hawaii, knowing that their businesses would
be prosperous if they did not have to pay the new sugar tariff.
At the same time, the throne was passed to Queen Liliuokalani. She blamed the islands’
economic problems on the interference of foreign powers.
Questions to consider:
1.) Should the annexation of the Hawaiian government be a peaceful one?
2.) What impact will the annexation of Hawaii have on the trade of sugar and pineapple,
missionaries and the railroad industry?
3.) How will a delegate’s involvement in those industries affect the way relations are
increased?
4.) How will the overthrow of their government be explained?
Additional sources:
http://hawaiiankingdom.org/blog/who-were-these-insurgents-calling-themselves-the-committeeof-safety/
http://www.ushistory.org/us/44b.asp
https://history.state.gov/countries/hawaii
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http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3159
Bibliography:
"Annexation of Hawaii." Digital History. Digital History. Web. 28 Aug. 2016.
"A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by
Country, since 1776: Hawaii." Hawaii*. US Department of State. Web. 28 Aug. 2016.
"Hawaiian Annexation." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association. Web. 28 Aug. 2016.
"Who Were These Insurgents Calling Themselves the Committee of Safety?" Hawaiian
Kingdom Blog. 16 June 2014. Web. 28 Aug. 2016.
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