<P> In 1893 the business community in Kingdom of Hawaii overthrew the Queen and sought annexation by President Harrison, who forwarded the proposal to the Senate for approval . But the newly elected President Cleveland withdrew the proposed annexation; Hawaii formed an independent Republic of Hawaii . Unexpectedly foreign - policy became a central concern of American politics . Historian Henry Graff says that at first, "Public opinion at home seemed to indicate acquiescence ..." Unmistakably, the sentiment at home was maturing with immense force for the United States to join the great powers of the world in a quest for overseas colonies ." </P> <P> President Grover Cleveland, on taking office in March 1893, rescinded the annexation proposal . His biographer Alyn Brodsky argues he was deeply adverse to an immoral action against the little kingdom: </P> <Dl> <Dd> Just as he stood up for the Samoan Islands against Germany because he opposed the conquest of a lesser state by a greater one, so did he stand up for the Hawaiian Islands against his own nation . He could have let the annexation of Hawaii move inexorably to its inevitable culmination . But he opted for confrontation, which he hated, as it was to him the only way a weak and defenseless people might retain their independence . It was not the idea of annexation that Grover Cleveland opposed, but the idea of annexation as a pretext for illicit territorial acquisition . </Dd> </Dl> <Dd> Just as he stood up for the Samoan Islands against Germany because he opposed the conquest of a lesser state by a greater one, so did he stand up for the Hawaiian Islands against his own nation . He could have let the annexation of Hawaii move inexorably to its inevitable culmination . But he opted for confrontation, which he hated, as it was to him the only way a weak and defenseless people might retain their independence . It was not the idea of annexation that Grover Cleveland opposed, but the idea of annexation as a pretext for illicit territorial acquisition . </Dd>

How has american foreign policy changed over time