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Annexation
The process by which a geographical area is declared part of a country's sovereignty. In most cases, the country that annexes is the stronger political entity, and the annexation is a unilateral act of coercion. A recent example of an annexation involving the United States is that of Hawaii in 1898. Hawaii was becoming a strategic commercial and military concern for the United States during the 1800s. There was additional concern of Hawaii being annexed by European powers, particularly since France and Great Britain forced Hawaii during the 1830s to sign economic privilege agreements. The U.S. sugar industry was fast becoming an integral part of the Hawaiian economy, and American planters feared the threat of high sugar tariffs. After Queen Liliuokalani expressed a desire to ...