Question

Which of the following most motivated European powers to clean Pacific Islands as colonies

The islands were useful ports for marching in warships
Do Europeans wanted to convert islanders to Christianity
Unequal treaties would not be possible in this pacific so conquest was the only answer
Sugarcane grown on the islands was becoming a profitable as cotton cotton

Answer 1

The islands were useful ports for marching in warships

Answer 2

The correct answer is D) sugarcane on the islands was becoming as profitable as cotton.

What most motivated European powers to clean Pacific Islands to colonies was that sugarcane on the islands was becoming as profitable as cotton.

For instance, in 1858, Great Britain had plantations on the islands that were very profitable. Sugarcane started to become an interesting business for European powers. Britain knew it needed more land and more workers to work in the sugarcane plantations. Pacific islands such as Tahiti, Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga represented a good place to develop an economic interest for European powers that established settlements there.