Question

the hawaiian islands were formally by the united states in 1898, the marked the end of a lengthy internal between native hawaiians and white businessmen for control of the government. in 1893 the last of hawaii, queen liliuokalani, was wn by a party of businessmen, who posed a provisional government. er, president benjamin harrison ed a treaty to annex the hawaiian o the u.s. senate for ratification. in e treaty effort was blocked when the rmed hawaiian patriotic league, composed of native hawaiians, successfully ed the u.s. congress in opposition of the treaty. the league’s lobbying eft only 46 senators in favor of the resolution, less than the 2/3 majority for approval of a treaty. the league’s victory was shortlived, however as g world events soon forced the annexation issue to the fore again. with the n of the u.s.s. maine in february of 1898 signaling the start of the spanish n war, establishing a mid - pacific fueling station and naval base became a imperative for the united states. the hawaiian islands were the clear choice, time congress moved to annex the hawaiian islands by joint resolution, a requiring only a simple majority in both houses of congress. on july 12, 1898, resolution passed and the hawaiian islands were officially annexed by the uss boston landing force by hawaii state archives is in the public domain. guiding questions question 1 of 6 which of the following best describes the relationship between the u.s. government and the hawaiian islands? a the u.s. offered the hawaiian islands as a peace offering in a treaty with spain. b the queen of hawaii declared war on the u.s. and was dethroned by america. c hawaii was a wartime asset, so the u.s. acquired it despite disapproval from natives. d u.s. businessmen were imprisoned by the queen of hawaii for exploiting hawaiis land.

Explanation:

• Option A is incorrect: Hawaii was not offered to Spain as a peace offering; the U.S. annexed it for strategic wartime use.
• Option B is incorrect: Queen Lili'uokalani did not declare war on the U.S.; she was overthrown by businessmen, not due to a war declaration.
• Option C is correct: The text states that the 1898 sinking of the USS Maine (start of the Spanish-American War) made Hawaii a critical mid-Pacific fueling/naval base, so the U.S. annexed it via joint resolution, even though native Hawaiians (via the Hawaiian Patriotic League) opposed the earlier annexation treaty.
• Option D is incorrect: The text does not mention the queen imprisoning U.S. businessmen; instead, businessmen overthrew the queen.

Answer:

C. Hawaii was a wartime asset, so the U.S. acquired it despite disapproval from natives.