The Anti-Imperialist Buffalonian and the Kingdom of Hawai'i

"We want to show how U.S. imperialism has spread across the Pacific and across the world," says an organizer — Protests planned for Hawaii's 50th anniversary.

In 1893, the President confirmed the above, telling Congress "that Hawaii was taken possession of by the United States forces without the consent or wish of the government of the islands, or of anybody else so far as shown, except the United States Minister" — Grover Cleveland Opposes the Annexation of Hawaii.

He went on to say that "the military occupation of Honolulu by the United States... was wholly without justification, either as an occupation by consent or as an occupation necessitated by dangers threatening American life and property." He said, "Our country was in danger of occupying the position of having actually set up a temporary government on foreign soil for the purpose of acquiring through that agency territory which we had wrongfully put in its possession." More:

I believe that a candid and thorough examination of the facts will force the conviction that the provisional government owes its existence to an armed invasion by the United States. Fair-minded people with the evidence before them will hardly claim that the Hawaiian Government was overthrown by the people of the islands or that the provisional government had ever existed with their consent. I do not understand that any member of this government claims that the people would uphold it by their suffrages if they were allowed to vote on the question.

While naturally sympathizing with every effort to establish a republican form of government, it has been the settled policy of the United States to concede to people of foreign countries the same freedom and independence in the management of their domestic affairs that we have always claimed for ourselves.

This greatest of presidents went on to speak of "the landing of the United States forces upon false pretexts" as "the lawless landing of the United States forces at Honolulu," words that would be unimaginable today.