Why did President Cleveland refuse to annex Hawaii?

President Grover Cleveland opposed annexing Hawaii because the Hawaiian monarchy had been overthrown with the involvement of Americans, and he believed taking the islands without the people’s consent would be unjust and improper. He therefore withdrew the annexation treaty rather than accept the overthrow as a basis for U.S. expansion. The correct choice is “He felt annexation would be unjust and illegal.”

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.