Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 30, Number 1, 1 January 2013 — On yielding her authority [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

On yielding her authority

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On Jan. 17, 1893, the Hawaiian Kingdom was overthrown with the backing of the U.S. Minister, John L. Stevens. Calling themselves the Committee of Safety - a group representing American and European sugar planters, missionary descendants and financiers - deposed Queen Lili'uokalani and proclaimed the establishment of a Provisional Government.

On that day, Queen Lili'uokalani did not surrender to the Provisional Government but yielded her authority temporarily and conditionally to the United States. As her words reached her loyal subjects the tears of a nation flowed with them: i

Years later, Lili'uokalani looked back on that day, in her book, Hawaii's Story by Hm'aii's Queen:

"In the year 1893, on the fifteenth day of January, at the request of a large majority of the Hawaiian people, and by and with the consent of my cabinet, I proposed to make certain changes in the constitution of the Hawaiian kingdom, whieh were suggested to me as being for the advantage and benefit of the kingdom, and subjects and residents thereof. These proposed changes did ^ not deprive foreigners of any rights or privileges enjoyed by them under the constitution of 1887, promulaated by Kina Kalākaua

and his cabinet, without the consent of the people or ratified by their votes. "My ministers at the last moment changed their views, and requested me | to defer all action in connection with I the constitution; and I yielded to their k advice as bound to do by the existing ■ oonstitntion and 1aws

"A minority of the foreign population made my action the pretext for overthrowing the monarchy, and, aided by the United States naval forces and ^ representative, established a new government. "I owed no allegiance to Ē,:'.: the Provisional Govern- » v ment so established, nor

to any power or to any k one save the will of my people and the welfare of my country.

"... I yield to the superior force of the United States of America, whose minister plenipotentiary, His Excellency John L. Stevens, has caused United States troops to be landed at Honolulu and declared that he would support the said Provisional Government. "Now, to avoid any collision of armed forces, and perhaps the loss oflife, I do, under this protest and impelled by said forces, yield my authority until such time as the Government of the United States shall, upon the facts being presented to it, undo the action of its representative and reinstate me in the authority whieh I elaim as the constitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands."

"The wishes of my people were not consulted as to this change of government, and only those who were in practical rebellion against the constitutional government were allowed to vote upon the question whether the monarchy should exist or not. "To prevent the shedding of the blood of my people, natives and foreigners alike, I opposed armed interferenee, and quietly yielded to the armed forces brought against my throne, and submitted to the arbitrament of the government of the United States the decision of my rights and those of the Hawaiian people. Since then, as is well known to all, I have pursued the path of peaee and diplomatic discussion, and not that of intemal strife. "The United States having first interfered in the interest of those founding the government of 1893 upon the basis of revolution, concluded to leave to the Hawaiian people the selection of their own form of government. "This selection was anticipated and prevented by the Provisional Government, who, being possessed of the military and poliee power of the kingdom, so cramped the electoral privileges that no free expression of their will was permitted to the people who were opposed to them. "By my command and advice the native people and those in sympathy with them were restrained from rising against the government in power." On establishing a trust Lili'uokalani estimated the crown lands ceded eomprised 911,888 acres. She was never compensated for the land and lived her later years without monetary weahh. However, in 1909 she established the Queen Lili'uokalani Trust dedicated to the welfare of orphaned and destitute children of Hawai'i stating, "It is for them that I would spend. . ,everything belonging to me." ■

Events of the overthrow Compiled by Kēhaunani Abad 6 1875 • Hawai'i experiences an eeonomie boom after the United States and the Hawaiian Kingdom passed the Reciprocity Treaty. The treaty affirms that eaeh nation will "strengthen and perpetuate ... friendly relations" and offer eaeh other tarifffree trade involving certain goods. O 1890 • U.S. Congress passes the McKinley Tariff, ending advantages Hawai'i sugar planters gained in the Reciprocity Treaty and prompting them to seek annexation to restore their edge over competitors. O 1891 • Lili'uokalani ascends the throne and is flooded with petitions requesting changes to the 1887 "Bayonet Constitution" that had taken away most Hawaiian citizens' voting rights. • Lorrin Thurston leads the sugar growers' efforts to annex Hawai'i to the U.S. O 1892 • U.S. Secretary of State James Blaine and Navy Secretary Benjamin Tracy meet with Lorrin Thurston in Washington, D.C. and assure him of the U.S.'s desire to annex Hawai'i. • The Queen provides her cabinet and attorney general a draft revised constitution and hears no opposition from them. O 1893 Saturday, Jan. 14 • noon: The Queen's invited guests — diplomats, legislators, and other dignitaries — await the Queen's announcement of her new constitution, but the Queen's cabinet refuses to endorse it. The Queen explains to her guests that the eagerly anticipated changes will have to wait. • late afternoon: Setting in motion their planned ruse, the sugar planters form a "Committee of Safety," claiming the Queen's actions threaten the peaee of the nation. • evening: U.S. Minister to Hawai'i, John Stevens, meets with the Committee of Safety and states that he would be willing to order troops from the USS Boston to land to protect American life and property. He assures them that he will recognize the committee as the government of Hawai'i and the entity in possession of key government buildings.

o Sunday, Jan. 15 • Stevens continues to meet with sugar interests and pledges hissupportfor annexation of Hawai'i to the U.S.

-o Monday, Jan. 16 • 10 a.m.: The Queen has notices posted clarifying that any constitutional changes being sought would occur only via constitutional means. • Though no disturbances occur, the Committee of Safety writes to Stevens asserting that the Queen's actions had "created general alarm and terror" and requesting "the protection of the United States forces."

• 3 p.m.: Stevens orders Captain Gilbert Wiltse to land troops from the USS Boston. The marines march to the U.S. legation, American Consulate, and Arion Hall where a majority station themselves. It is a block from 'lolani Palaee and Ali'iolani Hale (the Kingdom government building) but a distance from American owned properties. • The Queen and her cabinet ask Stevens why the troops were landed; no response is given.

o Tuesday, Jan. 17 • Sugar planters elect Sanford Dole to head their planned Provisional Government. Dole writes to Stevens announcing the Provisional Government's plan to abolish the Hawaiian monarchy. • 2:30 p.m.: On the steps of Ali'iolani Hale, the Provisional Government reads a statement proclaiming an end the Hawaiian monarchy and the establishment of itself as the new government "until terms of union with the United States have

been...agreed upon." • The Queen's cabinet and marshal write to Stevens asking whether he has recognized the Provisional Government and requests that if he has not that he assist the Hawaiian Kingdom in "preserving the peaee of the country." • late afternoon: Stevens recognizes the Provisional Government as the government of Hawai'i. • Queen Lili'uokalani yields to the United States under protest.

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The Committee of Safety, with Chairman Henry E. Cooper, pictured at center. - Courtesy: Hawai'i State Archives

With Jan. 17, 2013, marking the 120th anniversary of the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, we asked Hawaiians, "In your eyes, what is Queen Lili'uokalani's legacy?"

Interviewed by Francine Murray

Oswald Stender trustee ofthe Office of Hawaiian Ajfairs "The queen's legaey I was a benefieiary of was the Queen Lili'uokalani Trust, whieh she set up for orphaned and indigent Hawaiian ehildren, and that was equal to what

Pauahi's legaey did for education. Because I was a beneficiary of the Queen Lili'uokalani Trust, they helped me with attending Kamehameha Schools. For me that was a major thing because I had no parents. What they did for me was they provided material things like money or clothes and that sort of thing. But the greatest benefit that I had was counseling. They had somebody that would sit with me every other week to keep me focused on what I was doing and on grown-up issues. The eounseling was the greatest thing they provided. Growing up without a family, I think the Queen Lili'uokalani Trust bridged that gap for me. There are many kids that have no parents. The counseling and the foster care that they provide is very helpful."

L. Kaipoleimanu Ka'awaloa William Richardson School ofLciw student and Kamehameha Schools graduate

| "When you hear j about the overthrow, the Queen signed | over her power, but the whole reason was j because she wanted to protect her people. i She didn't want anyone to die. She showed j me the importance of putting one's people i first, putting the Native Hawaiian people i before anything. She put them before her i power. She put them before her kingdom. i I think that is an important thing to take, i not only as a Native Hawaiian, not only as i a Native Hawaiian woman, but it is impori tant to always keep our community and i other people in mind. We have got to do i what we ean to help other people. That is what I take from that."

Karl Baker kumu hula of Hālau I Ka Wēkiu, whieh helped restore and now maintains Queen Lili'uokalani's garden, Uluhaimalama, on the slopes of Punehhowl

i "I thought that she (the queen) was a i very intelligent woman that understood the i western ways, yet understood the traditions i of Hawai'i. Most important she loved her i people. I like the idea of how she would deal i - even in the most trying times she believed i in diplomacy and not violence. I think all of i those things are important because we live in i a Western society and we all have our Hawaii ian-ness that is important to us. Many of us i are practitioners, and we have to make both i work. The only way we ean make both work i is not be violent. I think people around the world could have leamed from the Queen."