THE HAWIAN STORY – 1890’s
· Liliuokalani's brother, King David Kalakaua,
ascended the throne in 1874. He gave much governing power to a cabinet
composed of Americans.
· As a result, new constitution was passed
which gave voting rights to foreign residents but denied these rights
to most Hawaiian natives.
· Liliuokalani succeeded to the throne upon
the death of her brother in 1891. When she attempted to restore some of
the power of the monarchy that had been lost during the reign of her
brother, she encountered the revolt by the American colonists who
controlled most of Hawaii's economy.
· In 1893, U.S. marines called in by a U.S.
minister occupied the government buildings in Honolulu and deposed the
queen. The colonists, led by Sanford Dole, applied for the annexation
of the islands to the United States. Queen Liliuokalani appealed to the
U.S. President Grover Cleveland for reinstatement.
· Ignoring President Cleveland's orders, Dole
established a provisional government in Hawaii.
· His forces put down the revolt by the
royalists and jailed many of the queen's supporters. In 1895 Queen
Liliuokalani was put under the house arrest in the Iolani Palace for
eight months, after which she abdicated in return for the release of
her jailed supporters.
· In 1898 the Hawaiian Islands were formally
annexed to the United States. In the same year Queen Liliuokalani
composed a song "Aloha Oe" as a farewell to her country.
· She was released as a private citizen and
lived in Honolulu until her death in 1917.