Title: Queen Liliuokalani – Last Royal Ruler of Hawaii – Legends of America
Headings: Queen Liliuokalani – Last Royal Ruler of Hawaii
Queen Liliuokalani – Last Royal Ruler of Hawaii
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Content: Facing economic hardship and potential loss of power, American missionaries, business entrepreneurs, and European and American politicians began to seriously consider the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and annexation of the islands by the United States. If the Hawaiian Islands became a U.S. territory, Hawaiian sugar producers would be provided with the same economic and monetary benefits as those enjoyed by U.S. domestic producers. In the midst of this crisis, King Kalakaua died in January 1891, and his sister and heir, Liliuokalani, became the ruler of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Upon her succession, Queen Liliuokalani, disturbed by the loss of power of the monarchy under King Kalakaua, tried to restore a more traditional autocracy to the Hawaiian throne. She attempted to draft a new constitution which would restore the power of the monarchy and the voting rights of native Hawaiians. Queen Liliuokalani
She had earlier made her position clear by opposing the renewed Reciprocity Treaty of 1887, which granted commercial concessions to the United States and ceded to them the port of Pearl Harbor. At that time, many of her opposers which included U.S. and European entrepreneurs, politicians, and businessmen, were working toward annexation of the Hawaiian Islands to the United States. The fallout led to citywide political rallies and meetings in Honolulu. One group, called the Committee of Safety, was formed to protest of the “revolutionary” action of the queen and conspired to overthrow her. In response, royalists and loyalists formed the Committee of Law and Order and met at the palace square on January 16, 1893.