The Annexation of Hawaiʻi
American History Hit
History Hit
4.3 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 29 January 2026
⏱️ 55 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
How did Hawaiʻi - once an independent, internationally recognised kingdom - become America's 50th state? It's a tale of economic pressure, political manoeuvring, and ruthless military might. We’ll explore how a sovereign nation was overthrown, how annexation followed without consent, and why this history still matters today.
Our guest today is Noah Dolim, Assistant Professor at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. Noah primarily focuses on the history of nineteenth-century Hawai’i.
Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Tom Delargy. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It is the afternoon of January 17, 1893 in Honolulu. From the veranda of Ayolani Palace, Queen Liliu Okolani watches as an incredible scene unfolds. |
| 0:14.0 | U.S. Marines have come ashore from the USS Boston, marching into the city. They carry rifles, not for ceremony, but for effect. |
| 0:24.6 | No request has been made of their government. No threat has been issued against American lives or |
| 0:30.2 | property. And yet as the Marines fan out across Honolulu, positioning near government buildings, |
| 0:36.6 | the message is unmistakable. |
| 0:39.2 | Inside the palace, the queen's advisors argue. |
| 0:42.8 | Some urge resistance. |
| 0:44.3 | Thousands of Native Hawaiians stand ready to defend their queen. |
| 0:48.1 | Liliukalani knows this. |
| 0:50.4 | She also knows resistance would bring bloodshed, the near certain destruction of her people, |
| 0:56.1 | at the hands of a far stronger power. |
| 0:58.8 | The next day, a small group of American and European businessmen proclaims a provisional government |
| 1:04.0 | to rule Hawaii. |
| 1:06.1 | Faced with force, she did not invite and cannot defeat. |
| 1:09.5 | The queen makes her choice. |
| 1:12.3 | She does not abdicate. |
| 1:18.4 | She yields her authority under protest, placing her faith, however fragile, in the belief that the United States will correct an injustice committed in its name. In her written statement, she is |
| 1:24.2 | precise. Hawaii's sovereignty has been seized, not surrendered. No battle is |
| 1:29.3 | fought, but a kingdom ends. |
| 1:32.0 | Not because its people |
| 1:33.1 | abandoned it, but because a foreign |
| 1:35.3 | power arrived by sea |
... |
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