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Willis' goal was to maintain fear of the United States to pressure the Provisional Government into forfeiting the island back to the Queen and to maintain a US invasion as a possibility, whilst remaining officially neutral. Willis stated there were more than 1,000 men of military age in the city that the Provisional Government was arming.
On December 14, 1893, Albert Willis arrived in Honolulu aboard USRC Corwin unannounced, bringing an anticipation of an American invasion to restore the monarchy, which became known as the Black Week. Willis was the successor to James Blount as United States Minister to Hawaii.
After completing the Blount Report, Blount was replaced by Albert S. Willis. Willis, against America's present neutrality toward Hawaii, threatened an amphibious invasion to force the Provisional Government to restore the Queen. The threat failed to restore the monarchy, but did prolong annexation.
On January 11, 1894, Willis revealed the invasion to be a hoax. [21] [22] After the arrival of the Corwin, the provisional government and citizens of Hawaii were ready to rush to arms if necessary, but it was widely believed that Willis's threat of force was a bluff. [23] [24]
Though many Americans think of a vacation in a tropical paradise when imagining Hawaii, how the 50th state came to be a part of the U.S. is actually a much darker story, generations in the making.
The overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom was a coup d'état against Queen LiliĘ»uokalani that took place on January 17, 1893, on the island of Oahu, and was led by the Committee of Safety, composed of seven foreign residents (five Americans, one Scotsman, and one German [6]) and six Hawaiian Kingdom subjects of American descent in Honolulu.
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There was a dispute: Willis said the Queen said "beheading"; she later said she used "execute." [1] [2] [3] Finally, the Queen reversed herself and told Willis she could issue an amnesty. On December 18, 1893, Willis demanded on behalf of Cleveland to dissolve the Provisional Government of Hawaii and restore the Queen to