Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom

Long ago, Hawaii was a kingdom. It had a queen named Liliuokalani.

Many people grew sugar on the islands.

This work changed how the land was used. Some people wanted more power.

These people made new rules. The rules took power away from the queen. This was not fair to the Hawaiian people.

Some people from another land came to help. They used ships and soldiers to change the government. The queen lost her throne.

Later, the islands became part of the United States. Many people still talk about this story today.

Hawaii was once a kingdom. It had many rulers. One was King Kalākaua.

Many people grew sugar on the islands. This work changed the economy. American plantation owners wanted more power.

In 1887, a group forced the King to sign a new law. This was called the Bayonet Constitution. It took power away from the King. It also made it hard for many Hawaiians to vote.

When King Kalākaua died, his sister Liliʻuokalani became Queen. She wanted to make a new law. This law would give power back to the people.

On January 17, 1893, a group called the Committee of Safety led a coup. A coup is when people take control of a government by force. The group asked for U.S. Marines to help them. The soldiers arrived on ships.

The Queen lost her throne. In 1898, the islands became part of the United States. Later, the U.S. Congress said the overthrow was wrong. They said the Hawaiian people never gave up their right to rule themselves.

The Hawaiian Kingdom was a strong and independent nation for many years. It began with the Kamehameha dynasty in 1795 under Kamehameha I. In 1846, the United States formally recognized Hawaii as an independent land. This allowed the kingdom to make treaties with many other nations. The islands grew many things, but sugar became the most important export.

Sugar plantations changed how the economy worked in Hawaii. American-born plantation owners gained much influence over the local government. They wanted more power because their sugar businesses paid many taxes. This tension between the royal family and foreign owners grew over time.

In 1875, a new agreement called the Reciprocity Treaty began. This treaty allowed Hawaiian sugar to enter the U.S. without extra taxes. In exchange, the United States gained use of Ford Island. This helped the sugar industry grow very quickly. However, the United States also wanted to control Pearl Harbor. They saw the harbor as vital for defending the west coast.

Leaders like Charles Reed Bishop discussed selling land to the U.S. Many native Hawaiians disagreed with this idea. They believed the land, or 'Āina, was sacred and should not be sold.

Political tension led to a major change in 1887. A group of mostly non-Hawaiians used threats to force King Kalākaua to sign a new law. This was called the Bayonet Constitution. It took away much of the King's power to rule.

The new law also changed who could vote in the government. It required voters to own expensive property or have high incomes. This meant two-thirds of native Hawaiians could no longer vote. It also allowed foreign residents to vote even if they were not citizens. This change helped the white plantation owners keep control of the politics.

When King Kalākaua died in 1891, his sister Liliʻuokalani became the Queen. She faced a very hard job during an economic crisis. The McKinley Act in the U.S. made it harder to sell sugar from Hawaii. Queen Liliʻuokalani wanted to write a new constitution to help her people. Her new plan would give more voting rights to native Hawaiians. She toured the islands on horseback to ask for support. Many people signed petitions to show they wanted her new law. However, her own ministers did not support her plan.

On January 17, 1893, a group called the Committee of Safety led a coup. A coup is when a group takes control of a government by force. This group included seven foreign-born residents and six Hawaiian-born people. They asked the U.S. minister, John L. Stevens, for help.

He sent U.S. Marines and sailors to the islands to protect the new government. Because there was no Hawaiian army, the Queen could not fight back. The islands were later annexed by the United States in 1898. In 1993, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution to apologize for the overthrow. They admitted the Hawaiian people never gave up their right to rule themselves.

The Hawaiian Kingdom was an independent nation located in the Pacific Ocean. It was ruled by a monarchy that began with the Kamehameha dynasty in 1795. The kingdom was officially recognized as a sovereign state by the United States in 1846. This recognition allowed Hawaii to sign treaties with many other major nations. The kingdom maintained over ninety legations and consulates in various global cities and seaports. However, political and economic changes eventually led to the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893.

Sugar became the most important part of the Hawaiian economy after Captain James Cook arrived in 1778. The first permanent sugar plantation was established on Kauai in 1835 by William Hooper. Within thirty years, sugar plantations expanded across four of the main islands. This industry changed the entire economic structure of the kingdom. American-born plantation owners gained significant political influence because their businesses paid large taxes to the Royal family. These owners advocated for political representation and changes to land tenure laws.

Land ownership became a major source of tension between the monarchy and foreign residents. In 1854, King Kamehameha III proposed a reciprocity policy to lower U.S. tariffs on Hawaiian sugar. While an initial proposal failed, the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 was eventually successful. This treaty allowed Hawaiian sugar to enter the United States tax-free for seven years. In exchange, the United States gained use of Ford Island. This agreement caused sugar production to grow from 80,000 acres to 250,000 acres by 1891. However, the United States also sought control over Pearl Harbor for military defense.

Political conflict intensified in 1887 during an event known as the Rebellion of 1887. A group of mostly non-Hawaiians called the Hawaiian Patriotic League forced a new document on the King. This document is known as the Bayonet Constitution because it was signed under the threat of force. The constitution stripped King Kalākaua of much of his executive power. It also changed voting requirements to favor wealthy, foreign-born residents. Specifically, voters and candidates had to own property worth $3,000 or earn $600 annually. This change disenfranchised two-thirds of the Native Hawaiian population.

When King Kalākaua died in 1891, his sister, Queen Liliʻuokalani, assumed the throne. She faced a severe economic crisis caused by the McKinley Act in the United States. This Act removed the duty-free advantage Hawaiian sugar had previously enjoyed. To restore power to the monarchy and help her people, the Queen proposed a new constitution in 1893. This new document would have reduced property requirements for voting. It also would have removed the special voting privileges held by non-citizen Americans and Europeans. Many Native Hawaiians supported her, with 6,500 out of 9,500 voters expressing support for a new constitution.

On January 17, 1893, a group called the Committee of Safety organized a coup d'état. This committee consisted of seven foreign-born residents and six Hawaiian-born individuals. They sought to replace the monarchy with a government that favored annexation by the United States. The Committee requested assistance from the American minister, John L. Stevens.

Stevens sent U.S. Marines and sailors to the islands to support the new government. Because the Hawaiian Kingdom had no standing army, the Queen could not resist the military presence. The Committee eventually established the Republic of Hawaii.

The United States officially annexed the islands in 1898. This ended the period of the Hawaiian Kingdom. In 1993, the United States Congress passed the Apology Resolution to address the history of the overthrow. The resolution stated that the overthrow occurred with the active participation of U.S. agents and citizens. It also acknowledged that the Native Hawaiian people never formally gave up their sovereignty over their lands. This historical event remains a central part of the modern Hawaiian sovereignty movement.