Timeline of the Overthrow of Hawaii by S119-Kayleb Jin

Missionaries arrive at Hawaii

1091500277 — 2024-02-26 21:35:36 UTC

Missionaries came to Hawaii on March 30, 1820 from New England. They came with the purpose of converting Hawaiians to Christianity, no matter how long they took. Devoted to Christianity, they took up the slow process of convincing the Hawaiians for land to build churches. They also provided the Hawaiians with a written language so that communication would be easier. Throughout them living there, Hawaii was slowly becoming more and more modernized and populated.

These people slowly began to teach the Hawaiians not only Christianity, but familiarize the barbaric Hawaiians into more modern ways. This also opened Hawaii wide open, allowing other foreigners to come to Hawaii now that Western contact was made. The missionaries felt a calling to immediately help the Hawaiians, even though they had no idea they even needed help. The missionaries slowly began to break the Hawaiians traditions, causing more Western traditions to be out in place.

The Great Mahele

1091500277 — 2024-02-27 07:48:29 UTC

The Great Mahele, taking place in 1848, was known as "The Great Divide." It divided the lands of Hawaii throughout all the chiefs and the crown, allowing Hawaiian chiefs to finally "own" their land. King Kamehameha had divided his own segment of the land and gave part of it to the government, hoping that the land would be used to the benefit of the Hawaiians. The other chiefs followed, giving part of their land to the government also.

This event gave the already changing government the power of land, which is what Hawaiians prized. Land means power, and for the foreigners that was what they sought for. While the Great Mahele didn't directly affect the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, it did directly cause the next event.

The Kuleana Act

1091500277 — 2024-02-27 07:55:53 UTC

The Kuleana Act of 1850 cleared up any misconceptions about the Great Mahele. Commoners were confused as to what land they owned and what land they didn't, and the Kuleana Act went into further detail. Anyone who owned land was allowed to file a claim so that they could legally own their land, but the process was very complicated. Paired with the fact that the deadline was closer than it had been for the chiefs and foreigners could buy land, the commoners were heavily inexperienced.

The Kuleana Act of 1850 led to the Overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy becasue it gave foreigners the access to land. As stated before, the process to file a law claim was complicated, a process a bit too advanced for a normal Hawaiian. But because foreigners had brought the idea of "owning" land, they knew exactly what they had to do to get land. As stated in my other paragraph, land meant power, and giving the foreigners access to land was a mistake.

Bayonet Constitution

1091500277 — 2024-02-27 08:08:33 UTC

The Bayonet Constitution, signed July 6, 1887, was a Constitution that heavily favored foreign residents. After King Kalakaua had been held at gunpoint to sign this constitution, its effects immediately took place. The effects included the monarchy being a ceremonial leader, requiring the monarch to sign all laws and bills regardless of their opinion, and requiring all voters to sign an oath saying they support this constitution. It gave foreigners a massive advantage and rendered the once powerful monarchy useless.

The Bayonet Constitution led to the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom because it plucked the power right out of the Hawaiian monarchies' hands and placed it into the hands of controlling foreigners. The foreigners now had the freedom to get whatever bill they wanted signed into power, and no one could have any say about it, at least from the Hawaiian perspective.

Death of King Kalakaua/Enthronement of Queen Liliuokalani

1091500277 — 2024-02-27 23:19:22 UTC

The death of King Kalakaua, which was January 20, 1891, began the era of the last reigning monarch of Hawaii. His sister, Queen Liliuokalani, was made a monarch. She actively tried to get the Bayonet Constitution removed, but to no avail. She had no power and therefore could not do anything.

This event affected the overthrow because it was the last push for the Hawaiian Kingdom to be overthrown. The Bayonet Constitution put the power into the governments hands, and the Hawaiians were left into the dust. The unfair treatment and land consuming foreigners eventually lead to the overthrow.

Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom

1091500277 — 2024-02-28 00:20:28 UTC

The Hawaiian Kingdom was overthrown on January 17, 1893. After Queen Liliuokalani's feeble attempts at getting rid of the Bayonet Constitution, she was asked to forfeit her position from John Stevens. He was backed up by U.S. Marines and an armed group of foreigners. Seeing no way out of this situation, and Liliuokalani surrendered.

This event affected the overthrow because it was the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Liliuokalani couldn't do anything but surrender, since some of her people was held captive. The Bayonet Constitution prevented her from having a voice in her own kingdom, and without a voice, you had no say nor opinion.

President Benjamin Harrison signs an annexation treaty

1091500277 — 2024-02-28 04:13:01 UTC

President Benjamin Harrison signs an annexation treaty in the month of February 1893. He supported the annexation of Hawaii, but the presidential term would come to an end soon. Less than a month later, President Grover Cleveland quickly stepped in and undid the annexation treaty. He did not support the annexation of Hawaii, and sent a special commissioner, James Blount, to assess the situation of Hawaii.

This affected the overthrow of Hawaii because although it didn't quite affect the overthrow, as it already happened, but it delayed the annexation of Hawaii. It also allowed the Hawaiians to have a say through the Blount Report. Hawaiians had been treated unfairly, and President Cleveland sought to find out what was going on.

Blount Report

1091500277 — 2024-02-28 04:19:13 UTC

The Blount Report, published in July 1893, described the situation of Hawaii. It stated that the people supported the Queen and were against the Provisional Government. From this report, President Cleveland called John Stevens and told him to reinstate the Queen. Queen Liliuokalani thought that she had the support of the U.S. government and suggested that the participants in the overthrow be punished. But, Sanford Dole would not budge, and with no support from the U.S. government, the effort was a waste.

The Blount Report affected the overthrow because it gave President Cleveland a picture as to how Hawaii as a whole thought of the overthrow. Though his efforts ultimately failed, it gave Queen Liliuokalani hope that her kingdom would be restored. But the power of the Provisional Government had been too strong, and since Queen Liliuokalani had virtually no power, she could not do anything.

Provisional Government

1091500277 — 2024-02-28 04:38:11 UTC

The Provisional Government was made on January 17 1893, and was previously known as the Committee of Safety. They were comprised of U.S. businessmen and had a business in sugar, and worried that the U.S. would put a tax on the tax free sugar. They had illegally called themselves the provisional government for Hawaii, and the Bayonet Constitution made sure that Queen Liliuokalani had no voice on this.

The Provisional Government had an impact on the overthrow because they were the cause of it. They did not want all of their hard work to go to waste, and got what they wanted. Calling themselves the Provisional Government for Hawaii, they would not give up their position easily, as shown in the previous event.

Election of 1896

1091500277 — 2024-02-28 04:57:47 UTC

The Election of 1896 was when the Republican party supported annexation. Fearing that he lacked support in the Senate, William McKinley, the Republican representative, called for a joint resolution in Congress. Since there were other pressing matters, such as the Spanish American War and Japan possibly taking over Hawaii for their own, he quickly became President.

The Election of 1896 affected the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom because it was the final stake in the coffin for the hope of Hawaii. Now that there was a pro annexation President and pressure from Japan, Hawaii would inevitably be annexed. Hawaii had been in a bad spot for quite a bit, and finally the opportunity to get Hawaii annexed was shown, and President McKinley took it.

Annexation

1091500277 — 2024-02-28 05:11:50 UTC

Annexation finally happened on July 7, 1898. After William McKinley was put in the position of President, he quickly signed the bill that stated that Hawaii would be annexed to United States. This was truly the last straw for Hawaii, snatched right out of the Hawaiians very hands. Now that the U.S. was in control, Hawaii quickly became populated with different ethnicities wanting to work for the various plantations.

This event affected the Overthrow of Hawaii because it finally ended it all. This was truly the last nail in the coffin, and Hawaii would never be the same again. After diseases from foreigners ravaged the islands, the Hawaiian population was a shadow of what it once was. Paired with the fact that other races began to flock to the islands for plantation work, Hawaiians were quickly blocked by the humongous tide of workforce.

Reciprocity Treaty

1091500277 — 2024-02-28 05:47:09 UTC

The Reciprocity Treaty was made in 1875, and allowed the U.S. to gain Pearl Harbor in exchange for tax free imports between the U.S. and Hawaii. It allowed them both to get what they wanted, as the U.S. businessmen's business boomed, and the United States got a unique port that they now had access to.

The Reciprocity Treaty affected the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom because it made Hawaii more dependent on the U.S. The U.S. was one of Hawaii's best buyer, and Hawaii heavily relied on that. The businessmen in Hawaii also now relied on the U.S. for their income, and overshadowed the other Hawaiian businesses, causing Westerners to gain power.