Eleanor Finch
The 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Bayonet Constitution, was a legal document drafted by a group of American lawyers and plantation owners, including Sanford Dole and Lorrin A. Thurston, to strip the absolute Hawaiian monarchy of its authority and transfer power to a coalition of American, European, and native Hawaiian people. The new constitution was never ratified by the Legislative Assembly, and the Native Hawaiian population immediately sought to restore King Kalākaua's power and authority. They argued that the King had signed the constitution under duress, as an armed militia had threatened him with violence if he refused to sign it or attempted to undo it afterward. This event marked the beginning of the insurgency and the decline of the monarchy in Hawaii, as the new constitution placed considerable limitations on the King's power and disenfranchised a large portion of the native Hawaiian population.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Response to the Bayonet Constitution | Sought to restore King Kalākaua's power and authority; met with Kalākaua to discuss dismantling the constitution |
| Who was involved | Native Hawaiians, King Kalākaua, Queen Liliuokalani, Sanford B. Dole, the Hawaiian League, Honolulu Rifles |
| Changes to voting requirements | Allowed foreign resident aliens to vote; Denied suffrage to Asians; Granted full voting rights to Hawaiian, American, and European men who met economic and literacy thresholds |
| Changes to power structure | Transferred power from the king to the legislature and cabinet; Removed monarch's power to appoint members of the House of Nobles; Gave legislature authority to imprison those who disrespected or threatened its members |
| Property qualifications | Reinstituted property qualifications for candidates for Nobles and Representatives, ensuring that Nobles would be non-natives and control the elected Representatives |
| Limitations on king's power | Replaced absolute veto with a two-thirds override by the legislature; Removed power of the king to act without consent of his cabinet; Required king to appoint a Minister of Finance and submit an annual budget proposal |
| Motivation | Racist belief that the "native [was] unfit for government and his power must be curtailed"; Economic gain |
| King Kalākaua's role | Forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution or be deposed; Signed under threat of violence |
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What You'll Learn
Native Hawaiians were stripped of their land rights
The 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Bayonet Constitution, stripped Native Hawaiians of their land rights and voting rights. The constitution was drafted by a group of lawyers and plantation owners, including Sanford Dole, the largest sugarcane plantation owner. The Hawaiian League, a secret society of white businessmen, landowners, and missionary descendants, backed by the armed militia of the Honolulu Rifles, forced King Kalākaua to sign the constitution under threat of violence.
The Bayonet Constitution gave voting rights to foreign resident aliens while denying them to Native Hawaiians through high property and income requirements, as well as literacy and proficiency standards. This effectively disenfranchised the majority of Native Hawaiians, as they did not meet these requirements or standards. The constitution also removed the monarch's power to appoint members of the House of Nobles, instead making it an elected body. The property qualifications for candidates ensured that Nobles would be non-natives, further solidifying control by those with foreign allegiances.
The Hawaiian League's true purpose was to neutralize the power of the native vote and seize control of the government for their economic gain. They wanted to annex Hawaii to the United States, and by stripping Native Hawaiians of their land rights and voting rights, they ensured that their voices and interests would not be represented in the governance of their own land.
The Bayonet Constitution was never ratified by the Legislative Assembly and faced opposition from Native Hawaiians who sought to restore King Kalākaua's power. The King himself signed the constitution under duress, and Queen Liliuokalani affirmed that he was threatened with violence should he attempt to undo it. The constitution marked a decline in the monarchy's power and a shift towards the eventual annexation of Hawaii by the United States.
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Two-thirds of Native Hawaiians lost their voting rights
The 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Bayonet Constitution, stripped the Hawaiian monarchy of much of its authority and initiated a transfer of power to a coalition of American, European, and native Hawaiian people. The constitution was drafted by a group of lawyers and plantation owners, including Sanford Dole, the largest sugarcane plantation owner. Their goal was not just to gain full control of the Hawaiian Kingdom but also to eventually annex Hawaii to the United States.
The Bayonet Constitution made significant changes to voting requirements. It allowed foreign resident aliens to vote, while specifically denying suffrage to Asians and over two-thirds of Native Hawaiians. To understand how the latter group was disenfranchised, it is important to note the new eligibility requirements for voters: they had to meet certain economic and literacy thresholds. Specifically, voters had to be proficient in English and own property that aligned with taxable property standards. These requirements effectively excluded the majority of Native Hawaiians from voting, as they did not meet the new standards.
The Bayonet Constitution was never ratified by the Legislative Assembly, and Native Hawaiians sought to restore King Kalākaua's power and authority. A committee of Hawaiians met with Kalākaua to discuss dismantling the constitution, as it was signed under duress and the threat of violence. Queen Liliuokalani affirmed that the king's life was threatened and that he signed the constitution under "absolute compulsion."
The Bayonet Constitution was the first great implement in the decline of the monarchy. It sharply curtailed the authority of the king, placing limitations on his power and transferring it to the legislature and cabinet of the government. The Hawaiian League, a secret society of white businessmen, landowners, and missionary descendants, backed by the Honolulu Rifles militia, was able to seize control of the Hawaiian Kingdom and take away Native Hawaiian land rights.
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The Hawaiian League seized control
The Bayonet Constitution, also known as the 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, was a legal document drafted by a group of twenty individuals, including American lawyers and plantation owners. The document aimed to strip the absolute Hawaiian monarchy of its authority and transfer power to a coalition of American, European, and native Hawaiian people. The constitution was imposed on King Kalākaua by the Hawaiian League, a secret society of white businessmen, landowners, and missionary descendants, backed by the armed militia of the Honolulu Rifles. The Honolulu Rifles were a group of soldiers that served as the military arm of the Hawaiian League.
The Hawaiian League's true purpose was to seize control of the government for their economic gain by neutralizing the power of the native vote. On June 30, 1887, they held a meeting and demanded that King Kalākaua dismiss his cabinet, which supported the king's authority. Under threat of violence, the king agreed to form a new cabinet made up of League members. The new constitution gave the Hawaiian League complete control over the Hawaiian Kingdom by allocating government power to the Cabinet, which they controlled, and disenfranchising their opposition.
The Bayonet Constitution placed significant limitations on the king's power. It replaced the absolute veto of the king with one that could be overridden by a two-thirds majority in the legislature. The king was no longer allowed to act without the consent of his cabinet, and the legislature gained the power to dismiss the cabinet. The constitution also removed the monarch's power to appoint members of the House of Nobles, making it an elected body. Additionally, it instituted property and income requirements for nobles and representatives, ensuring that these positions were controlled by non-natives.
The Bayonet Constitution also made changes to voting requirements, allowing foreign resident aliens to vote while denying suffrage to Asians and many Native Hawaiians due to literacy, proficiency, and property standards. The Hawaiian League's actions resulted in the decline of the monarchy and the eventual annexation of Hawai'i by the United States, as they had intended from the inception of their organization. The constitution was never ratified by the Legislative Assembly and faced opposition from Native Hawaiians, who sought to restore King Kalākaua's power and authority.
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King Kalākaua was forced to sign under threat of violence
On June 30, 1887, King Kalākaua was forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution, a legal document that stripped the Hawaiian monarchy of much of its authority and transferred power to a coalition of American, European, and native Hawaiian people. The document was drafted by a group of lawyers and politicians who were members of the Reform Party of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the Hawaiian League, a secret cabal of white businessmen, landowners, and missionary descendants. The Hawaiian League had explicitly wanted the end of the kingdom and its annexation by the United States.
The Bayonet Constitution was signed under threat of violence, with the Honolulu Rifles militia group, the military arm of the Hawaiian League, demanding the dismissal of King Kalākaua's cabinet, which supported the king's authority. The king's life was threatened, and he was told to sign the document or be deposed. Queen Liliuokalani affirmed that he was threatened with violence, stating, "He signed that constitution under absolute compulsion."
The new constitution placed significant limitations on the king's power, including removing his absolute veto and requiring him to obtain the consent of his cabinet for most decisions. It also instituted high property and income requirements for nobles and representatives, effectively disenfranchising almost all of the native population. The king was also required to appoint a Minister of Finance to address concerns about profligate spending during his reign.
The Bayonet Constitution was never ratified by the Legislative Assembly and was the first great implement in the decline of the monarchy. Native Hawaiians sought to restore King Kalākaua's power and authority, meeting with him to discuss dismantling the constitution due to the circumstances of its signing. However, the king's health deteriorated, and he died in San Francisco on January 20, 1891.
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The Bayonet Constitution was never ratified
The Bayonet Constitution, also known as the 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, was a legal document drafted by a group of lawyers and politicians with explicit anti-monarchist and annexationist sentiments. The constitution was designed to strip King Kalākaua of his powers and transfer authority to a coalition of American, European, and native Hawaiian individuals.
The document was dubbed the "Bayonet Constitution" due to the explicit use of coercion and threats to gain King Kalākaua's cooperation. An armed militia, the Honolulu Rifles, backed by the Hawaiian League, demanded the dismissal of the king's cabinet, which supported his authority. The king was given an ultimatum: sign the new constitution or be deposed. Under this intense pressure and fearing for his life, the king reluctantly agreed to the terms.
The Bayonet Constitution had far-reaching consequences, marking the beginning of the insurgency and the decline of the monarchy. It disenfranchised many Native Hawaiians through income and literacy requirements, ensuring they could not serve in the legislature. It also barred Asians from voting, while granting suffrage to white non-citizens who met specific requirements. The constitution's focus on property and income qualifications for voting and noble positions effectively placed control in the hands of non-natives, further marginalizing the native population.
The failure to ratify the Bayonet Constitution underscores the illegitimate nature of its imposition and highlights the determination of the Native Hawaiian population to resist foreign domination and uphold their traditional governance structures.
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Frequently asked questions
The Bayonet Constitution was a legal document that stripped the Hawaiian monarchy of its power. It was signed by King Kalākaua on June 30, 1887, after he was threatened with violence by the Honolulu Rifles militia group.
The Bayonet Constitution had a number of negative effects on Native Hawaiians. It took away their land rights, disenfranchised them by imposing high property and income requirements for serving in the legislature, and allowed foreign residents to vote while denying suffrage to over two-thirds of Native Hawaiians by imposing literacy and proficiency standards.
Native Hawaiians immediately sought to restore King Kalākaua's power and authority. A committee of Hawaiians met with the king to discuss dismantling the constitution, as it was signed under duress. They also lost their voting rights, as the Bayonet Constitution imposed literacy and proficiency standards that excluded the majority of Native Hawaiians.
The Hawaiian League was a secret society formed in 1887 by white businessmen, landowners, and missionary descendants. They sought to annex Hawaii to the United States and seize control of the government for their economic gain. They held a meeting on June 30, 1887, where they demanded that King Kalākaua dismiss his cabinet and sign the Bayonet Constitution, which transferred power to the Hawaiian League and their supporters.
No, the Bayonet Constitution was never ratified by the Legislative Assembly of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Despite this, it still had a significant impact on the Hawaiian monarchy and the Native Hawaiian population.
