science

Reciprocity Treaty of 1875

Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 rather than just read about it. In short: The Treaty of Reciprocity between the United States of America and the Hawaiian Kingdom (Hawaiian: Kuʻikahi Pānaʻi Like) was a free trade agreement signed and ratified in 1875 that is generally known as the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875. The treaty gave free access to the United States market for sugar and other products grown in the Kingdom of Hawaii starting in September 1876.

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Reference excerpt

The Treaty of Reciprocity between the United States of America and the Hawaiian Kingdom (Hawaiian: Kuʻikahi Pānaʻi Like) was a free trade agreement signed and ratified in 1875 that is generally known as the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875. The treaty gave free access to the United States market for sugar and other products grown in the Kingdom of Hawaii starting in September 1876. In return, the US received a guarantee that Hawaii would not cede or lease any of its lands to other foreign powers. The treaty led to large investment by Americans in sugarcane plantations in Hawaii. In a later extension of the treaty, the United States negotiated for exclusive use of lands in the area known as Puʻu Loa, which were later used for the Pearl Harbor naval base.

Background For decades, the sugar planters in Hawaii had been economically hampered by United States import taxes placed upon their product, and consequently had been attempting negotiations for a free trade agreement. Two previous efforts at reaching an agreement with the United States failed, for many reasons. The planters wanted a treaty, but Hawaiians feared it would lead to annexation by the United States. Sugar refineries in San Francisco lobbied for a clause protecting their interests. The most recent effort before Kalākaua's reign died in the United States Senate. Within a year of Kalākaua's election, the treaty would become a reality, although the treaty was not supported by all Hawaiians. There were concerns over American ambitions to annex the islands, with many in the business community willing to cede the exclusive use of Pearl Harbor to the United States in exchange for the treaty. Part of Kalākaua's election platform, as "Hawaii for Hawaiians", had been to oppose the ceding of any sovereign land. Hawaii legislator Joseph Nāwahī predicted the treaty would be "a nation snatching treaty".

Negotiations At the urging of Hawaii's businessmen and the kingdom's newspapers, Kalākaua agreed to travel to the United States at the head of a Reciprocity Commission consisting of sugar planter Henry A. P. Carter of C. Brewer & Co., Hawaii Chief Justice Elisha Hunt Allen, and Minister of Foreign Affairs William Lowthian Green. After several months of negotiations, the treaty was signed on January 30, 1875, ratified by the Kingdom of Hawaii April 17, and ratified by the United States on May 31, without giving away any Hawaiian land. For the US, signers were Secretary of State Hamilton Fish and president Ulysses S. Grant. It allowed certain Hawaiian goods, mainly sugar and rice, to be admitted into the United States tax-free, for a period of 7 years. In return, Hawaii agreed not to levy import taxes on American-produced goods coming into Hawaii. The first shipment of sugar from Hawaii to the United States under the treaty arrived in San Francisco in September 1876 in a ship commanded by Captain William H. Marston.

Extension In the United States, the complaints about the treaty had been from southern sugar plantation owners who charged that the treaty favored Hawaiian planters, and sugar refiners who believed San Francisco refiners, in particular, that of Claus Spreckels, were given an unfair advantage. In Hawaii, the government became concerned that the subsequent United States Tariff Act of March 3, 1883, which lowered sugar tariffs imposed on product imported from all nations, had left them at a disadvantage. Article IV of the reciprocity treaty prevented Hawaii from making reciprocity treaties with other nations. President Chester A. Arthur was in favor of modifying the existing treaty. At the expiration of the treaty's 7 years, it remained in effect on a year-to-year basis. In 1884, Henry A. P. Carter and United States Secretary of State Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen sent a proposal to the United States Senate. After several months of negotiations, an agreement was reached on December 6, 1884, but it would be another 2 years and 11 months before ratification by both parties. Article II of the extension gave exclusive use of Pearl Harbor to the United States. Treaty ratifications were exchanged on December 9, 1887, extending the agreement for an additional 7 years.

Impact The most immediate result of the treaty was the boom in new sugar plantations. San Francisco sugar refiner Claus Spreckels became a major investor in Hawaii's sugar industry, initially buying half of the first year's production, and ultimately being the major shareholder in the plantations. Claus and his son John D. Spreckels became part owners of the Waihee plantation on the island of Maui. Within 5 years, it was estimated that he owned one-third of the sugar production in Hawaii. By 1882, the year he exported 24 million tons of raw sugar from the islands, he claimed to have a monopoly on the Hawaiian sugar production. Spreckels became one of Kalākaua's close associates, and by extension, tied in with the king's cabinet minister Walter Murray Gibson. Over the term of Kalākaua's reign, the treaty had a major effect on the kingdom's income. In 1874, Hawaii exported $1,839,620.27 in products. The value of exported products for 1890, the last full year of his reign, was $13,282,729.48, an increase of 722%. The exportation of sugar during that time period went from 24,566,611 pounds to 330,822,879 pounds.

See also Hawaiian Kingdom—United States relations Honolulu Courthouse Riot Early History of Pearl Harbor Entry into force List of bilateral treaties signed by the Kingdom of Hawaii Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom Reciprocity (international relations)

Notes

References Kuykendall, Ralph Simpson (1967). The Hawaiian Kingdom—Volume 3: The Kalakaua Dynasty, 1874–1893. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 9780870224331. OCLC 500374815. MacLennan, Carol A. (2014). Sovereign Sugar: Industry and Environment in Hawai'i. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 9780824839499. Project MUSE book 29077 Medcalf, Donald; Russell, Ronald (1991). Hawaiian Money: Standard Catalog (2nd ed.). Mill Creek, WA: Ronald Russell. ISBN 9780962326301.

Further reading Dozer, Donald Marquand (1945). "The Opposition to Hawaiian Reciprocity, 1876–1888". Pacific Historical Review. 14 (2): 157–183. doi:10.2307/3634970. JSTOR 3634970.

External links

Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 (The Morgan Report) Convention of December 6, 1884, treaty extension (The Morgan Report)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Reciprocity Treaty of 1875

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Reciprocity Treaty of 1875

In research: Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1875 treaties, Free trade agreements of the United States, History of sugar, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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Frequently asked questions

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