what happened in 1875 that helped the hawaiian sugar industry grow
Sugar plantations in Hawaii By the 1840s, sugarcane plantations gained a foothold in Hawaiian agriculture. Steamships provided rapid and reliable transportation to the islands, and demand increased during the California Gold Rush.[3] The land division law of 1848 (known as The Great Mahele) displaced Hawaiian people from their land, forming the basis for the sugarcane plantation economy.[4] In 1850, the law was amended to allow foreign residents to buy and lease land.[3] In 1850, when California became a state, profits declined and the number of plantations decreased to five due to the import tariff that was created.[5] Market demand increased even further during the onset of the American Civil War which prevented Southern sugar from being shipped northward.[6] The price of sugar rose 525% from 4 cents per pound in 1861 to 25 cents in 1864.[3] The Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 allowed Hawaii to sell sugar to the United States without paying duties or taxes, greatly increasing plantation profits.[7] This treaty also guaranteed that all of the resources including land, water, human labor power, capital, and technology would be thrown behind sugarcane cultivation.[4][8] The 1890 McKinley Tariff Act, an effort by the United States government to decrease the competitive pricing of Hawaiian sugar, paid 2 cents per pound to mainland producers. After significant lobbying efforts, this act was repealed in 1894.[6] By 1890, 75% of all privately held land was owned by foreign businessmen. The plantation owners wanted the United States to annex Hawaii so that Hawaiian sugar would never again be subject to tariffs.[citation needed] They also wanted the United States to annex Hawaii so there could be a U.S military base on the island (Pearl Harbor).[citation needed]