Territory of Hawaii

The Territory of Hawai‘i, abbreviated officially as T.H., was established on 7 July, 1898 and dissolved on 21 August, 1959 when Hawai‘i became a state. The U.S. Congress passed the Newlands Resolution which annexed the former Kingdom of Hawai‘i and later Republic of Hawai‘i to the United States. Hawai‘i's territorial history includes a period from 1941 to 1944 when the islands were placed under martial law. Civilian government was dissolved and a military governor was appointed.

Industrial boom & Big Five

As a territory of the United States, sugarcane plantations gained a new infusion of investment. By getting rid of tariffs imposed on sugarcane producers by the United States, planters had more money to spend on equipment, land and labor. Increased capital resulted in increased production. Five kingdom-era corporations benefited from annexation, becoming multi-million dollar conglomerations overnight: Castle & Cooke, Alexander & Baldwin, C. Brewer & Co., Amfac, Theo H. Davies & Co. Together, the five companies ruled the Hawaiian economy as the "Big Five."

Related Topics:
Castle & Cooke - Alexander & Baldwin - C. Brewer & Co. - Amfac - Theo H. Davies & Co. - Big Five

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Big Five corporations together became a single dominating force in Hawai‘i. The companies did not compete with each other but rather cooperated to keep the prices on their goods and services high. Their profits skyrocketed even more. Soon, the executives of the Big Five sat on each others' boards of directors. With economic power came political power over Hawai‘i. They took to illegal methods to maintain a political foothold. They often threatened the labor force to vote in their favor. Plantation managers hung pencils over voting booths. The way the pencil swayed indicated how the laborer voted. Retaliation for voting "the wrong way" was common.

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During the territorial era, Hawai‘i slowly became an oligarchy governed by the Big Five. They made sure only whites and Republicans ran government in Hawai‘i. During the rule of the Big Five, it was almost impossible to win an election in Hawai‘i as a Democrat.

Related Topics:
Oligarchy - Republicans - Democrat

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