Queen Liliuokalani was the last queen of Hawaii. She became the queen in 1891, after her brother, who was the king, died. Her brother, King Kalakaua had been forced by white farmers to sign "The Bayonet Constitution." It limited the monarchy's power and gave more power to white Americans. Queen Liliuokalani drafted a new constitution which gave more power to the monarchy as well as restoring rights to native Hawaiians. White people did not approve. They formed a “committee of public Safety” (if you’re a monarch and your citizens form a Committee of Public Safety, you know that nothing good is to come.) They formed a mob and went to discourage the queen from signing her own constitution. The US navy decided to protect the mob during their coup. The queen was forced to abdicate, and the white farmers formed a provisional government. They accused Queen Liliuokalani of treason and put her under house arrest in her palace for defending her right to the throne. President Benjamin Harrison approved of the annexation of Hawaii into the United States after that. After that, Grover Cleveland was the president, and he said he wouldn't approve of the annexation. After deciding that the coup was unjust, he turned the matter to congress. Congress decided to recognize the provisional government white farmers set up, led by Sanford Dole. Dole as in Dole pineapples. Although Queen Liliuokalani was under house arrest, she wouldn't stop fighting for Hawaii and the rights of Native Hawaiians. She went to congress as soon as she was released to fight for rights, but at that point the Spanish American war started, and Hawaii was seen as a strategic stronghold. The government decided to annex Hawaii, and Queen Liliuokalani lost her title as queen. However, she never stopped fighting for good. She was proud of her identity as a Hawaiian, and refused to watch the annexation ceremony. She started a foundation to help orphans in Hawaii, and even wrote music that is still used today.
http://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-0300590
This is one of the saddest things America has done in its history and the dethroning of a queen and the forceful annexation of her land into the United States is certainly a stain on America's track record. Something interesting that Liliuokalani tried to do under house arrest was to make her niece, Kaiulani, her heir to the throne, hoping someone might respect her authority and put her niece on the throne after she had been forcibly ousted from it. Unfortunately, in the eyes of the whites who overthrew her, Liliuokalani had been the final queen Hawaii would have, so they paid her declaration little mind.
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