The Overthrow of Hawaii: A Dark Chapter in History

In 1895, Queen Liliʻuokalani, the last monarch of Hawaii, faced a stark reality: imprisonment. The Missionary Party, a group of American and European businessmen, had seized power, confiscating her diaries, ransacking her home, and claiming her lands. This marked a pivotal moment in the turbulent history of the Hawaiian Kingdom and its struggle against annexation by the United States.

The Rise of American Influence

Seventy-five years prior to Liliʻuokalani's imprisonment, American missionaries arrived in Hawaii. They quickly gained influence, establishing businesses and transforming arable land into lucrative plantations. Working closely with the aliʻi, the Hawaiian nobility, they secured government positions and helped shape Hawaii into a sovereign kingdom with a constitutional monarchy.

However, the prospect of exporting sugar to the U.S. tariff-free led some descendants of these missionaries to shift their allegiances. They formed the Missionary Party, a political group with the explicit goal of annexing Hawaii and bringing it under U.S. control.

The Bayonet Constitution and Loss of Sovereignty

Liliʻuokalani's brother, Kalākaua, ascended the throne in 1874. But the threat from the Missionary Party soon materialized. In 1887, an all-white militia surrounded the king and forced him to sign new legislation known as the Bayonet Constitution. This document stripped Native Hawaiians of their rights, diminished the monarchy's power, and ceded control to the white businessmen.

King Kalākaua died four years later, reportedly heartbroken by the betrayal of those he had helped. Liliʻuokalani, prepared to fight for her people, assumed the throne.

Queen Liliʻuokalani's Resistance

Despite facing death threats and rumors of insurgency, Queen Liliʻuokalani was determined to restore power to her people, an estimated two-thirds of whom had lost their voting rights. She authored a new constitution, but before she could introduce it, the Committee of Safety, largely composed of Missionary Party members, hatched another plot.

Under the false pretense that the new constitution endangered American property and lives, they staged a coup on January 17, 1893. Over 160 U.S. Marines marched to the palace, and the Committee of Safety removed Queen Liliʻuokalani from office.

The Aftermath of the Overthrow

Thousands of Hawaiians protested the overthrow, wearing hat bands that read "Aloha ʻĀina," meaning "love of the nation." The Provisional Government declared Hawaii a Republic the following year, proclaiming that Hawaiians could not vote or hold government jobs without signing an oath of allegiance.

Many refused to sign the oath. In 1895, supporters of Liliʻuokalani attempted a counterrevolution. The Republic responded brutally, jailing hundreds and sentencing six to death. In exchange for their release, Liliʻuokalani was forced to sign a document relinquishing her throne, and she was imprisoned in the palace.

Under constant guard, she composed songs expressing her love for her people and created a patchwork quilt that told the story of her life. Though her jailers censored the news she received, her supporters often brought her bouquets wrapped in newspaper.

A Fight for Restoration

After eight months, Liliʻuokalani was placed under house arrest. Once freed, she traveled to Washington, D.C., with Hawaiian nationalists and over 20,000 signatures, successfully convincing Congress to halt the Republic's annexation treaty.

However, the Spanish-American War began the following year. Seeing Hawaii as a strategic military base, President William McKinley declared it a U.S. territory on July 7, 1898, breaking international law and devastating Queen Liliʻuokalani and her people.

She spent the rest of her life petitioning for the restoration of her lands, Native Hawaiian rights, and national liberation. When she died in 1917, these dreams remained unrealized.

A Lasting Legacy

A member of the group that forced Queen Liliʻuokalani out of office once declared, "If we are ever to have peace and annexation, the first thing to do is obliterate the past." They failed. Queen Liliʻuokalani left a resilient legacy. Her commitment to her land and people never wavered, and many Hawaiians continue to fight in her memory.

As Queen Liliʻuokalani said, "It is for them that I would give the last drop of my blood."