Republic of Hawaii

As United States Marines marched past ‘Iolani Palace on their way to their peacekeeping stations, they dipped their U.S. flag while passing by, as a sign of respect to the Queen. The 152 sailors never entered the Palace grounds, never fired a shot, and did not participate in the takeover of any buildings.

Lili‘uokalani's Constitution

In 1891, Kalakaua died and his sister Lili‘uokalani assumed the throne. She came into power in the middle of an economic crisis. The McKinley Tariff had crippled the Hawaiian sugar industry and many native Hawaiian citizens were feeling the pressures of the loss of revenue. Lili‘uokalani proposed a lottery system to raise money for her people. Her ministers, and even her closest friends, were sorely disappointed at the thought and tried to stop her from pursuing the bill. The lottery bill came to be used against her in the brewing constitutional crisis she was heading into.

Related Topics:
1891 - Lili‘uokalani - McKinley Tariff - Lottery

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Lili‘uokalani's chief desire was to restore power to the monarch by abrogating the Constitution she had sworn to uphold. The queen launched a campaign resulting in a petition from some Hawaiian subjects to proclaim a new Constitution. When she informed her cabinet of her plans, they refused to support her.

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Those citizens and residents who in 1887 had forced Kalakaua to sign the "Bayonet Constitution" became alarmed that the queen was planning to unilaterally proclaim her new Constitution. About 1500 armed local people under the leadership of the Honolulu Rifles and the Committee of Safety took over government buildings, disarmed the Royal Guard, and declared a Provisional Government. As these events were unfolding American citizens living in Honolulu expressed concern for their safety and property. 152 sailors from a U.S. Navy ship in Honolulu harbor came ashore with rifles and gatling guns to maintain order in the streets and to guard American property; but they did not fire any shots or take over any buildings.

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