How was Mckinley imperialistic by annexing Hawaii and making it the 50th state in 1959?
Westward expansion by the U.S. did not stop with the West Coast, and Hawaii was already showing signs of becoming an American colony well before the 1898 annexation. Americans living in the kingdom (many of whom decided not to become Hawaiian citizens) began advocating for the extension of American influence in the Pacific and Asia, with Hawaii as a natural base. They also knew that they could increase the chances of annexation by the U.S. by gaining more and more control over the political and economic sectors of the kingdom. Their efforts eventually culminated in the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani in 1893 and the establishment of a provisional government led by Americans wanting annexation. McKinley, in essence, agreed with the revolutionaries and extended America’s reach into the middle of the Pacific. But he didn’t stop with Hawaii, as Guam, American Samoa, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico also came under U.S. control. This is how McKinley was “imperialistic.
