In the late 1800s, the sugar industry was booming in Hawaii. American sugar planters were becoming increasingly wealthy and powerful, and they wanted to control the land and resources of Hawaii for themselves.
In 1893, a group of American sugar planters, with the support of the United States government, overthrew the Kingdom of Hawaii. They established the Republic of Hawaii, which was then annexed by the United States in 1898.
The overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii was a clear violation of international law and of the rights of the Hawaiian people. However, the United States government supported the coup because it wanted to gain control over Hawaii's sugar industry.