Hawaii Annexed: U.S. Flag Replaces Kingdom's Banner
The Hawaiian flag was lowered from Iolani Palace on August 12, 1898, and the American flag raised in its place during the formal annexation ceremony. The ceremony completed a process that had begun five years earlier when a group of American and European businessmen, backed by U.S. Marines from the USS Boston, overthrew Queen Liliuokalani. President Grover Cleveland had called the overthrow an "act of war" and refused to annex the islands, but his successor William McKinley was more receptive. The Spanish-American War provided the strategic justification: Pearl Harbor was essential as a Pacific naval base. Native Hawaiians, who had submitted a 21,000-signature petition against annexation, were not consulted.
August 12, 1898
128 years ago
Key Figures & Places
United States
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flag of the United States
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Republic of Hawaii
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Flag of Hawaii
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Iolani Palace
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ʻIolani Palace
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Flag of Hawaii
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ʻIolani Palace
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Flag of the United States
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Republic of Hawaii
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Hawaii
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United States
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Spanish–American War
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Annexation
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Pacific Ocean
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