Nearly half of Native Hawaiians sign a petition to Congress opposing annexation of Hawai’i to the U.S. Lili’uokalani, the former queen deposed by the U.S. military, travels to Washington, D.C., several times to plead for the rights of Native Hawaiians and for the fair settlement of crown lands. Congress passes the Hawaiian Organic Act and President William McKinley signs it into law. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. declares that Hawai’i is a territory of the U.S.