Hawaiian Islands Acquisition

Definition

The Hawaiian Islands Acquisition was the annexation of Hawaii by the United States in 1898, which allowed America to gain control and ownership of an important strategic location in the Pacific Ocean.

Analogy

It's like playing a game of Monopoly where you acquire a property (Hawaii) that gives you more control over the board (Pacific Ocean), making it easier for you to win.

Related terms

Manifest Destiny: A widely held cultural belief in 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America.

Queen Liliuokalani: The last monarch and only queen regnant of the Kingdom of Hawaii. She was deposed by U.S. businessmen who established a provisional government.

Spanish-American War: An 1898 conflict between Spain and US that ended Spanish colonial rule in Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in western Pacific and Latin America.