Isabella Carter
The Bayonet Constitution, also known as the 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, was a legal document drafted by anti-monarchists to reduce the power of the absolute Hawaiian monarchy. The document was signed by King Kalākaua under the threat of violence from an armed militia, who would depose him if he did not comply. The Bayonet Constitution stripped the king of most of his personal authority, empowering the legislature and cabinet of the government.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the constitution | Bayonet Constitution |
| Year of drafting | 1887 |
| Country | Kingdom of Hawaii |
| Type of government | Constitutional Monarchy |
| Monarch | King Kalākaua |
| Reason for the name | Signed under threat of violence |
| Drafted by | A group of 20 lawyers associated with the Hawaiian League |
| Powers of the monarch | Sharply curtailed |
| Voting rights | Denied to Asians and restricted for many Native Hawaiians |
| Voting requirements | High property and income requirements |
| Legislature | Unicameral |
| Cabinet | Under the authority of the Legislature |
| Ratification | Not ratified by the Legislative Assembly |
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What You'll Learn
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, including Lorrin Thurston, Sanford B. Dole, William Ansel Kinney, William Owen Smith, George Norton Wilcox, and Edward Griffin Hitchcock. All the lawyers involved were associated with the Hawaiian League, a secret society with the explicit goal of annexing Hawaii to the United States. The document was signed by King Kalākaua on July 6, 1887, but it was never ratified by the Legislative Assembly and therefore was never a legitimate constitution.
The Bayonet Constitution got its name from the threat of force used to coerce King Kalākaua into signing it. The Honolulu Rifles, the military arm of the Hawaiian League, and politicians from the Reform Party of the Hawaiian Kingdom demanded that the King dismiss his Cabinet, led by Walter M. Gibson, who supported the King's authority. The King was threatened with violence and genuinely believed his life was in danger if he did not comply.
The Bayonet Constitution stripped the Hawaiian monarchy of much of its authority and transferred power to a coalition of American, European, and native Hawaiian individuals. It placed significant limitations on the King's power, including the requirement to appoint a Minister of Finance and submit annual budget proposals to the legislature. The constitution also removed the monarch's power to appoint members of the House of Nobles, instead making it an elected body with high property and income requirements, effectively disenfranchising many Native Hawaiians.
The Bayonet Constitution was the first step in the decline of the Hawaiian monarchy. It facilitated the domination of the legislature by wealthy, anti-monarchy elites and enabled the cession of Pearl Harbor to the United States, tying Hawaii's economy closer to that of the U.S. Despite its lack of ratification, the Bayonet Constitution had a significant impact on the Hawaiian Kingdom and set in motion a series of events that ultimately led to the illegal overthrow of the monarchy in 1893.
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It stripped the king of most powers
The Bayonet Constitution, also known as the 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, stripped the king of most powers and transferred authority to a coalition of American, European, and native Hawaiian people. It was drafted by a group of lawyers, including Lorrin Thurston, Sanford B. Dole, William Ansel Kinney, William Owen Smith, George Norton Wilcox, and Edward Griffin Hitchcock, all of whom were associated with the Hawaiian League, which sought to end the kingdom and annex Hawaii to the United States.
The Bayonet Constitution significantly curtailed the king's powers and diminished the Native Hawaiians' voice in the government. It removed the monarch's power to appoint members of the House of Nobles, the upper house of the legislature, and instead made it an elected body with members chosen by wealthy landowners. This effectively disenfranchised most Native Hawaiians, as the new property and income requirements made it difficult for them to serve in the legislature.
The constitution also required the king to appoint a Minister of Finance to oversee government spending and submit an annual budget proposal to the legislature, addressing the issues of profligate spending that had occurred under Kalākaua's reign. Additionally, it placed the cabinet under the authority of the legislature and required that any executive actions of the monarch receive cabinet approval.
The Bayonet Constitution was signed by King Kalākaua on July 6, 1887, under duress and the threat of violence. The king believed his life was in danger if he did not comply with the demands of the Hawaiian League and the armed militia of the Honolulu Rifles. This use of force to gain the king's cooperation gave rise to the name "Bayonet Constitution."
The Bayonet Constitution was never properly ratified by the Legislative Assembly or the House of Nobles and was thus never legally valid. Despite this, it marked the beginning of the decline of the monarchy in Hawaii and the transfer of power to foreign interests.
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It was signed under duress
The 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Bayonet Constitution, was signed by King Kalākaua on July 6, 1887, under duress. The King believed that his life was in danger if he did not comply with the demands of the Honolulu Rifles, an armed militia, and other politicians.
The Bayonet Constitution was drafted by a group of lawyers, including Lorrin Thurston, Sanford B. Dole, William Ansel Kinney, William Owen Smith, George Norton Wilcox, and Edward Griffin Hitchcock, all of whom were associated with the Hawaiian League. This group explicitly sought to end the kingdom and facilitate its annexation by the United States. The constitution stripped the king of his personal authority, empowering the legislature and cabinet of the government. It also removed the monarch's power to appoint members of the House of Nobles, who were now elected by wealthy landowners, further disenfranchising native Hawaiians.
The threat of force used to gain King Kalākaua's compliance gave rise to the name "Bayonet Constitution." The constitution was never ratified by the Legislative Assembly, and as a result, it was never considered legally valid. Despite this, it marked the beginning of the decline of the monarchy in Hawaii.
Following the Bayonet Constitution, the Native Hawaiian population sought to restore King Kalākaua's power and authority. Queen Liliuokalani, who succeeded Kalākaua, attempted to overrule the Bayonet Constitution with a new constitution that would restore the monarchy's power and the voting rights of disenfranchised natives. However, this attempt was thwarted by pro-American Western elites, who, with the support of US Marines, overthrew the monarchy on January 17, 1893.
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It was drafted by a group of lawyers
The 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Bayonet Constitution, was drafted by a group of lawyers. These lawyers were Sanford B. Dole, Lorrin Thurston, William Ansel Kinney, William Owen Smith, George Norton Wilcox, and Edward Griffin Hitchcock. All of these men were also associated with the Hawaiian League, a secret society with the explicit goal of annexing Hawaii to the United States.
The Bayonet Constitution was drafted and signed under a week, on July 6, 1887. King Kalākaua was forced to sign the constitution under duress and the threat of violence. The Honolulu Rifles, a group of white soldiers who were the Hawaiian League's military arm, demanded that the king dismiss his cabinet and sign a new constitution. If he did not comply, he would be deposed.
The Bayonet Constitution stripped the king of most of his personal authority and empowered the legislature and cabinet of the government. It also removed the monarch's power to appoint members of the House of Nobles, the upper house of the legislature, and instead made it a body elected by wealthy landowners. The constitution also stipulated that the king was required to appoint a Minister of Finance to oversee government spending and submit an annual budget proposal to the legislature.
The Bayonet Constitution was never ratified by the Legislative Assembly and was therefore never a legitimate constitution. However, it marked the beginning of the decline of the monarchy in Hawaii and the transfer of power to American and European interests.
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It was the beginning of the insurgency
The 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Bayonet Constitution, was a legal document drafted by a group of lawyers, including Lorrin Thurston, Sanford B. Dole, William Ansel Kinney, William Owen Smith, George Norton Wilcox, and Edward Griffin Hitchcock. All the lawyers involved were associated with the Hawaiian League, a secret society with the explicit goal of annexing Hawaii to the United States. The Bayonet Constitution was designed to strip the absolute Hawaiian monarchy of its authority and transfer power to a coalition of American, European, and native Hawaiian individuals.
The constitution included significant changes, such as removing the monarch's power to appoint members of the House of Nobles, instead making it an elected body with strict property and income requirements for candidates. This effectively disenfranchised many native Hawaiians and ensured that the Nobles would be non-natives. Additionally, the constitution required the king to appoint a Minister of Finance and submit annual budget proposals to the legislature, addressing the issues of profligate spending under King Kalākaua's reign.
The Bayonet Constitution gained its name from the threat of force used to gain King Kalākaua's compliance. On June 30, 1887, the Honolulu Rifles, the military arm of the Hawaiian League, joined forces with politicians from the Reform Party of the Hawaiian Kingdom. They demanded that King Kalākaua dismiss his Cabinet, which supported the king's authority. The king was forced to comply, and within a week, the new constitution was drafted. King Kalākaua signed it on July 6, 1887, under duress, as he believed his life was in danger if he refused.
The Bayonet Constitution was never properly ratified by the Legislative Assembly, and thus, it was never legally valid. Despite this, it served as the beginning of the insurgency and the decline of the monarchy in Hawaii. The Native Hawaiian population sought to restore King Kalākaua's power, and Queen Liliuokalani affirmed that he had signed the constitution under the threat of violence. In 1893, Queen Liliuokalani attempted to introduce a new constitution to restore the monarchy's power and voting rights for the economically disenfranchised. However, this effort was met with resistance from pro-American Western elites, who, with the support of US Marines, overthrew the monarchy on January 17, 1893.
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Frequently asked questions
The Bayonet Constitution was a legal document drafted in 1887 that stripped the Hawaiian monarchy of its authority and transferred power to a coalition of American, European, and native Hawaiian people.
The document was called the Bayonet Constitution because it was signed under the threat of violence. King Kalākaua was forced to sign the document or face being deposed.
The Bayonet Constitution sharply curtailed the powers of the Hawaiian monarch and diminished the Native Hawaiians' voice in government. It placed control of the Legislature and Cabinet in the hands of individuals who held foreign allegiances. It also removed the monarch's power to appoint members of the House of Nobles and instituted high property and income requirements for candidates, effectively disenfranchising many Native Hawaiians.
The Bayonet Constitution was drafted by a group of lawyers, including Lorrin Thurston, Sanford B. Dole, William Ansel Kinney, William Owen Smith, George Norton Wilcox, and Edward Griffin Hitchcock. All were associated with the Hawaiian League, a secret society formed in 1887 with the purpose of annexing Hawaii to the United States.
No, the Bayonet Constitution was never ratified by the Legislative Assembly and therefore was never a valid constitution. The 1864 Constitution remained the constitution of the country.
