es Minister gave the Provisional Government his recognition.

The Queen, who had 500 soldiers in the Barracks, was inclined to fight,
but on the advice of her counselors, she yielded "to the superior force
of the United States of America" until the facts could be presented at
Washington, and the wrong righted.

Two weeks later, on the first of February, Minister Stevens issued a
proclamation declaring a protectorate over the islands. This action was
later repudiated by the authorities at Washington, but on February 15,
President Harrison submitted a treaty of annexation to the Senate. The
treaty failed of passage, and President Cleveland, as one of his first
official acts, ordered a complete investigation of the whole affair.

The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations submitted a report on the
matter February 26, 1894. Four members referred to the acts of Minister
Stevens as "active, officious and unbecoming participation in the events
which led to the revolution." All members of the committee agreed that
his action in declaring a protectorate over the Islands was unjustified.

The same kind of a fight that developed over the annexation of Texas now
took place over the annexation of Hawaii. A group of senators, of whom
Senator R. F. Pettigrew was the most conspicuous figure, succeeded in
preventing the ratification of the annexation treaty until July 7, 1898.
Then, ten weeks after the declaration of the Spanish-American War, under
the stress of the war-hysteria, Hawaii was annexed by a joint resolution
of Congress.

The Annexation of Hawaii marks a turning point in the history of the
United States. For the first time, the American people secured
possession of territory lying outside of the mainland of North America.
For the first time the United States acquired territory lying within the
tropics. The annexation of Hawaii was the first imperialistic act after
the annexation of Texas, more than fifty years before. It was the first
imperialistic act since the capitalists of the North had succeeded the
slave-owners of the South as the masters of American public life.

3. _The Spanish-American War_

The real test of the imperial intentions of the United States came with
the Spanish-American War. An old, shattered world empire (Spain) held
Porto Rico, Cuba and the Philippines. Porto Rico and Cuba were of
peculiar value to the sugar and tobacco interests of the United States.
They were close to the mainland, they were