1893 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii

1893 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii

The 1893 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii was a proposed
replacement of the Constitution of 1887, primarily based on the
Constitution of 1864 put forth by Queen Lili'uokalani. While it never
became anything more than a draft, the constitution had a profound
impact on Hawaii's history: it set off a chain of events that eventually
resulted in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Background
Prior to 1887, the monarchs of Hawaii ruled the kingdom as executive
monarchs. Following the writing of the 1887 Constitution, however,
the monarch was reduced to a mere figurehead.
During the 1890 legislature, the Hawaiian king, David Kalkaua,
backed a number of proposals to amend or rewrite the 1887
constitution. However, all of these measures failed.
In 1891, Liliuokalani ascended the throne. In 1892, she backed
measures in the kingdom's legislature to amend or rewrite the
constitution. However, the measures failed as they had during the reign
Queen Liliuokalani wrote the draft 1893
constitution.
of her brother. Among the measures that failed was an amendment that
would lower the property requirement to vote so most of the general
public could vote. When that was voted down, many Hawaiian citizens protested. Thousands petitioned the Queen to
issue a new constitution as Kamehameha V had done in 1864 (the Constitution of 1864).Wikipedia:Citation needed

The Proposed Constitution

The constitution that Liliuokalani proposed differed from the 1887 constitution in the following respects:

Members of the privy council, notary public, and agents would be able to run for the legislature.
Princess Kaiulani, Prince Kawnanakoa and Prince Kalanianaole would be added to the line of succession.
The Queen would be given the power to call meetings of the legislature.
The legislature would meet for regular sessions in April instead of May.
The Queens private lands and other property were made inviolable.
The Queen would sign all bills before they became law. Under the 1887 constitution, any bills vetoed by the
Queen and then repassed by the legislature with a two-thirds majority would automatically become law without
the signature of the Queen. Under the proposed 1893 constitution, the Queen would be obligated to sign all bills
repassed by the legislature with a two-thirds majority.
The pay of the legislators would be increased to $250 from $500.
Nobles would be appointed by the Queen instead of elected.
The number of representatives could be increased from 24 to 48.
Property requirements for voters were decreased.
American and European residents, granted suffrage in 1887, would lose the right to vote.
Supreme court judges would be appointed for six years instead of for life.
The Queen would be able to appoint governors of each island for four years.

1893 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii

Backlash
On January 14, 1893, the Queen met with
her cabinet at Iolani Palace to discuss her
proposed constitution. None of her ministers
agreed to sign the constitution, believing
that having the Queen simply proclaim a
new constitution would spark unrest. The
ministers went so far as to inform the
Queen's political enemies of her plans, and
were afraid of her threats of mob violence if
they didn't follow her orders.[1] The Queen
finally gave in late that afternoon, but the
wheels of her overthrow had already been
set in motion.
Outside, a large crowd of Native Hawaiians
Queen Liliuokalani met with her ministers at Iolani Palace about her new
had gathered, expecting the Queen to
constitution while thousands of Native Hawaiians waited outside for the
proclaim a new constitution. However, after
constitution's proclamation.
her meeting with her cabinet, Liliuokalani
instead went outside onto the palace balcony
and told the crowd that a new constitution would have to wait and that they should peacefully return to their homes.
That evening, a group of the Queen's opponents met to discuss the events of the day. Most were concerned over the
Queen's attempt to restore the power of the crown. Some annexationists, like Henry Baldwin, urged moderation but
others, like Lorrin A. Thurston urged the overthrow of the monarchy. A plan of action was created by the group,
including the creation of a Committee of Safety, the overthrow of the monarchy, the establishment of a provisional
government, and the petitioning for annexation to the United States.
The following Monday, the Queen issued a statement saying that she would not attempt to amend the constitution
except by the means provided in the 1887 constitution. However, the Committee of Safety did not believe her
promise was sincere, and continued with their planning. A group of men mostly drawn from the ranks of the Reform
Party of the Hawaiian Kingdom formed the Committee of Safety and asked the United States Minister, John L.
Stevens, to land troops from the U.S.S. Boston (anchored in Honolulu Harbor) into Honolulu, to protect American
lives and property. John L. Stevens, reacting to what he saw as potential unrest as the internal crisis continued,
requested the landing of about 160 Marines, who were given specific orders by Captain G. C. Wiltse to "land in
Honolulu for the purpose of protecting our legation, consulate, and the lives and property of American citizens, and
to assist in preserving public order."[2] At 2:00pm on January 17, 1893, a proclamation was read on the steps of
Government building, declaring the monarchy overthrown. U.S. peacekeepers were at the time stationed at Arion
Hall, the U.S. Consulate, and the U.S. Legation, under orders of strict neutrality and out of any potential line of fire
between the Provisional Government and Royalist forces. The Queen abdicated under protest ostensibly "to the
superior force of the United States government", though her surrender was delivered to the Provisional Government,
not the United States. The Kingdom of Hawaii had ended, and a new provisional government was declared.
The Provisional Government quickly gained recognition from the United States Government and all the other
governments with embassies in Hawaii,[3] but was opposed by the administration of Grover Cleveland for years as
he attempted to restore the monarchy, beginning with the Blount Report. President Grover Cleveland, in a message
to Congress on December 18, 1893, denounced the actions of Minister Stevens, the Honolulu Rifles and the
Committee of Safety as an "act of war, committed with the participation of a diplomatic representative of the United
States and without authority of Congress." Following the Morgan Report submitted by Congress on February 26,

1893 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii

1894, Cleveland reversed his stance, rebuffed the Queen's further requests for interference in the matter, and
acknowledged the Provisional Government as legitimate.

Liliuokalani's trial
In 1895, an abortive attempt by Hawaiian royalists to restore Queen Liliuokalani to power resulted in the queen's
arrest. She was forced to sign a document of abdication that relinquished all her future claims to the throne.
Following this, she was subject to a public trial before a military tribunal in her former throne room.
Convicted of having knowledge of a royalist plot, Liliuokalani was fined $5000 and sentenced to five years in
prison and hard labor. The sentence was commuted to imprisonment in an upstairs bedroom of Iolani Palace. During
her imprisonment, the queen was denied any visitors other than one lady in waiting. She began each day with her
daily devotions followed by reading, quilting, crochet-work, or music composition.
After her release from Iolani Palace, the queen remained under house arrest for five months at her private home,
Washington Place. For another eight months she was forbidden to leave Oahu before all restrictions were lifted.

References
[1] The Morgan Report, p960 (http:/ / morganreport. org/ mediawiki/ index. php?title=956-962#STATEMENT_OF_L. _A. _THURSTON.
2C_HAWAIIAN_MINISTER. 2C_PUBLISHED_NOVEMBER_21. 2C_1893. )
[2] The Morgan Report, p.834 (http:/ / morganreport. org/ mediawiki/ index. php?title=834-835)
[3] The Morgan Report pp.1103-1110 (http:/ / morganreport. org/ mediawiki/ index. php?title=1103-1111) includes all the letters of recognition
given within 48 hours of the overthrow

Potter, Norris W. and Kasdon, Lawrence M. Hawaii, our Island State. Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merrill
Books, Inc., 1964.

External links
A copy of the proposed Constitution. Includes a description of changes from the 1887 constitution (http://www.
pixi.com/~kingdom/1893.html)
Part of a series on the

History of Hawaii

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Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors

1893 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=604293141 Contributors: Altenmann, Aoi, Arjuna909, Cmdrjameson, CommonsDelinker,
Gurch, Hailey C. Shannon, Hmains, II MusLiM HyBRiD II, JdH, JereKrischel, Jiang, JustAGal, KAVEBEAR, Kbdank71, Krueda, NekoDaemon, Rich Farmbrough, Senjuto, Snowynight,
TheJJJunk, Tim!, TommyBoy, Toussaint, Trappist the monk, Viralxtreme14, Viriditas, Woodrrg, 13 anonymous edits

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Image:Liliuokalani of Hawaii.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Liliuokalani_of_Hawaii.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Dodo, Foroa, JdH, KAVEBEAR,
Materialscientist, Saforrest, Themadchopper
Image:Iolani Palace (1328).JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Iolani_Palace_(1328).JPG License: Public Domain Contributors: User:Jiang
File:Seal of the State of Hawaii.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Seal_of_the_State_of_Hawaii.svg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0
Contributors: User:Clindberg, User:Sodacan
File:Flag of Hawaii.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Flag_of_Hawaii.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Anime Addict AA, Awg1010, Cycn, Dbenbenn,
Denelson83, Dzordzm, Editor at Large, F. F. Fjodor, Fry1989, Homo lupus, Hydrargyrum, Idh0854, Jianhui67, KAVEBEAR, Kalathalan, Ludger1961, Manuelt15, Mattes, Nagy, Nightstallion,
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