JOHN L. STEVENS

(John Leavitt Stevens)


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John L. Stevens

In truth the monarchy here is an absurd anachronism. It has nothing on which it logically or legitimately stands. The feudal basis on which it once stood no longer existing, the monarchy now is only an impediment to good government -- an obstruction to the prosperity and progress of the islands. Destiny and the vast future interests of the United States in the Pacific clearly indicate who at no distant day must be responsible for the government of these islands.
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The Ambassador without any authority from the State Department or the Congress engineered a group that staged a coup in Hawaii which overthrew the popular government monarchy and then “asked” to be ruled by the United States. Hawaii had been a stable independent nation, but many American businessmen and adventurers had designs on the valuable Hawaiian land. President Cleveland tried to remedy the situation {643147}, but it was too late. Haraii had become a U. S. territory and there was no going back.

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John L. Stevens
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John L. Stevens
  • Born: August 1, 1820
  • Died: February 8, 1895
  • Nationality:
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Biography

John Leavitt Stevens was the United States Minister to the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1893 when he was accused of conspiring to overthrow Queen Liliuokalani in association with the Committee of Safety, led by Lorrin A. Thurston and Sanford B. Dole – the first Americans attempting to overthrow a foreign government under the auspices of a United States government officer. Apart from his work as a politician and diplomat, he was also a journalist, author, minister and newspaper publisher. He founded the Republican Party in Maine and served as Maine State Senator.