The Hawaiian Islands became a strategically important territory for th

The Hawaiian Islands became a strategically important territory for the United States government by the 1850s for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

A) it was necessary to secure Honolulu as a coaling station for U.S. steamships—merchant vessels and warships—on their way to trade with China and Japan.
B) British and French economic and military influence in the Pacific made it necessary to protect Hawaii from a possible British or French takeover of Hawaii and, thereby, reducing American influence.
C) the U.S. government was committed to preventing alcohol, gambling, prostitution, and disease from undermining the independence and moral integrity of native Hawaiians.
D) many Protestant missionaries and merchants from America had become a significant presence in Hawaii, and their churches, schools, and commercial properties required protection of the U.S. government and U.S. Navy from a British or French takeover or a native Hawaiian uprising.

ANSWER
Answer: C