Reciprocity Treaty of 1875

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John M. Kapena
, Governor of Maui.

The Treaty of Reciprocity between the United States of America and the Hawaiian Kingdom (Hawaiian: Kuʻikahi Pānaʻi Like) was a free trade agreement signed and ratified in 1875 that is generally known as the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875.

The treaty gave free access to the

Kingdom of Hawaii starting in September 1876. In return, the US received a guarantee that Hawaii would not cede or lease any of its lands to other foreign powers. The treaty led to large investment by Americans in sugarcane plantations in Hawaii
.

In a later extension of the treaty, the United States negotiated for exclusive use of lands in the area known as Puʻu Loa, which were later used for the Pearl Harbor naval base.

Background

For decades, the sugar planters in Hawaii had been economically hampered by United States import taxes placed upon their product, and consequently had been attempting negotiations for a free trade agreement. Two previous efforts at reaching an agreement with the United States failed, for many reasons. The planters wanted a treaty, but Hawaiians feared it would lead to annexation by the United States. Sugar refineries in San Francisco lobbied for a clause protecting their interests. The most recent effort before Kalākaua's reign died in the United States Senate.[1]

Within a year of Kalākaua's election, the treaty would become a reality, although the treaty was not supported by all Hawaiians. There were concerns over American ambitions to annex the islands, with many in the business community willing to cede the exclusive use of Pearl Harbor to the United States in exchange for the treaty. Part of Kalākaua's election platform, as "Hawaii for Hawaiians", had been to oppose the ceding of any sovereign land. Hawaii legislator Joseph Nāwahī predicted the treaty would be "a nation snatching treaty".[2]

Negotiations

At the urging of Hawaii's businessmen and the kingdom's newspapers,

San Francisco in September 1876 in a ship commanded by Captain William H. Marston
.

Extension

In the United States, the complaints about the treaty had been from southern sugar plantation owners who charged that the treaty favored Hawaiian planters, and sugar refiners who believed San Francisco refiners, in particular, that of Claus Spreckels, were given an unfair advantage.

Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen sent a proposal to the United States Senate.[9] After several months of negotiations, an agreement was reached on December 6, 1884, but it would be another 2 years and 11 months before ratification by both parties. Article II of the extension gave exclusive use of Pearl Harbor to the United States.[10] Treaty ratifications were exchanged on December 9, 1887, extending the agreement for an additional 7 years.[11]

Impact

The most immediate result of the treaty was the boom in new sugar plantations. San Francisco sugar refiner

Walter Murray Gibson.[13]

Over the term of Kalākaua's reign, the treaty had a major effect on the kingdom's income. In 1874, Hawaii exported $1,839,620.27 in products. The value of exported products for 1890, the last full year of his reign, was $13,282,729.48, an increase of 722%. The exportation of sugar during that time period went from 24,566,611 pounds to 330,822,879 pounds.[14]


See also

Notes

  1. ^ Kuykendall 1967, pp. 17–45
  2. ^ MacLennan 2014, pp. 74–75
  3. Honolulu Star Bulletin
    . Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  4. ^ MacLennan 2014, pp. 224–228
  5. ^ "Text of the treaty". The Morgan Report web site. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  6. ^ "King Kalakaua". Evening Star. Washington D. C. December 12, 1874. Retrieved January 12, 2017 – via Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
  7. ^ Kuykendall 1967, pp. 374–380
  8. ^ Kuykendall 1967, pp. 380–381
  9. ^ Kuykendall 1967, pp. 382–384
  10. ^ "The New Hawaiian Treaty". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands. May 15, 1886. Retrieved January 26, 2017 – via Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
  11. ^ Kuykendall 1967, pp. 396–397
  12. ^ Medcalf & Russell 1991, p. 5
  13. ^ Kuykendall 1967, pp. 59–62
  14. ^ Kuykendall 1967, pp. 83–84

References

Further reading

External links

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