The Chinese Civilizational “Threat” and White Supremacy Construction in Hawaii before Annexation

Though Americans had been considering annexing Hawaii since as early 1851, Hawaii’s conglomerate racial composition was always a hindrance. Obviously aware of Americans’ apprehension, Hawaiian whites, or haoles, took much care to construct themselves the indisputably dominant race in islands. One means that end inventing and heroically confronting civilizational threat from Chinese, biggest group foreigners 1876 reciprocity treaty mid-1890s. In so doing, haoles managed show whites could did overcome formidable obstacles achieve flourishing their institutions island nation. This maneuver debunked anti-annexation logic concurred with American annexationists’ emphasis on whiteness its precariousness final stage annexation debates. It therefore one part Hawaii-U.S. cross-border effort at incorporating former into latter.