Nthe late eighteenth century, the united states used as a port to conduct trade activities with china and india. was the backbone of the hawaiian economy. it made up more than three quarters of the nation’s total wealth. the us government made a trade agreement with hawaii so that sugar could be sold in the united states.

1. The port of Honolulu in Hawaii was used by the United States to trade with China and India. 2. Initially, sandalwood, Hawaii’s naturally most abundant resource, became the backbone of the economy. However, after Great Mahele that established land and private property rights, sugarcane, in the second half of the nineteenth century, became the backbone of the Hawaiian economy. 3. The Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 signed between Hawaii and the United States boosted Hawaiian exports of sugar and rice. Hawaiian sugar exports to the United States increased almost 1,000% in 15 years from 21 million pounds in 1876 to 224.5 million pounds in 1890. This Reciprocity Treaty was renewed in 1887.