Omar Bennett
The Bayonet Constitution, also known as the 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, was a pivotal moment in the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy. This document, drafted by a group of lawyers associated with the Hawaiian League, stripped King Kalākaua of his powers and transferred authority to a coalition of American, European, and native Hawaiian elites. The constitution was imposed on the king by an armed militia, threatening his life and forcing his cooperation. The Bayonet Constitution disenfranchised native Hawaiians, giving power to white non-citizens and wealthy landowners, and facilitating the domination of the legislature by anti-monarchy elites. It marked the beginning of the insurgency and the decline of the monarchy, leading to the illegal overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani and the imposition of the Republic of Hawaii in 1893.
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What You'll Learn
The Bayonet Constitution was drafted by a group of anti-monarchist lawyers
The Bayonet Constitution, also known as the 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, was drafted by a group of anti-monarchist lawyers. It was a legal document that 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 drafted in less than a week and signed by King Kalākaua on July 6, 1887, under duress as he faced the threat of being deposed.
The group of lawyers who drafted the constitution included Thurston, Dole, William Ansel Kinney, William Owen Smith, George Norton Wilcox, and Edward Griffin Hitchcock. All of them were associated with the Hawaiian League, which sought the end of the kingdom and its annexation by the United States. The Hawaiian League, a secret organization, included wealthy, anti-monarchy elites, such as white businessmen, landowners, and missionary descendants. They were backed by the Honolulu Rifles militia, who played a role in forcing the king to sign the new constitution.
The Bayonet Constitution made significant changes to the Hawaiian monarchy and the voting requirements. 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 by the wealthy landowners. It also instituted high property and income requirements for serving as a noble or representative, effectively disenfranchising many Native Hawaiians. The constitution further required the king 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 in the Hawaiian Kingdom's legislature, and it was seen as the first step in the decline of the monarchy. It did not depose the king immediately, but it placed considerable limitations on his power. The Native Hawaiian population sought to restore King Kalākaua's power and authority after the adoption of the constitution. In 1893, Queen Lili‘uokalani attempted to overrule the Bayonet Constitution with a new constitution to restore the monarchy's power and voting rights for the economically disenfranchised. However, this led to the overthrow of the monarchy by pro-American Western elites, with the support of US Marines, on January 17, 1893.
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It stripped the Hawaiian monarchy of its authority
The Bayonet Constitution, also known as the 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, was a legal document drafted by anti-monarchists to strip the Hawaiian monarchy of its authority and transfer power to a coalition of American, European, and native Hawaiian elites.
The constitution was drafted in a matter of days by a group of lawyers, including Sanford B. Dole and Lorrin A. Thurston, who were associated with the Hawaiian League, a secret society with the explicit goal of ending the monarchy and annexing Hawaii to the United States. On June 30, 1887, King Kalākaua was forced to dismiss his Cabinet, which supported his authority, and accept the new constitution or face being deposed.
The Bayonet Constitution made significant changes to the monarch's powers and voting requirements. It stripped the king of most of his personal authority, empowering the legislature and cabinet of the government. The monarch could no longer appoint members of the House of Nobles, which became an elected body dominated by wealthy landowners. Voting rights were restricted for many native Hawaiians and Asians, while suffrage was granted to white male residents, particularly those in the sugar industry, and non-citizen landowners, allowing them to elect officials who supported their capitalist interests.
The Bayonet Constitution was never ratified by the Legislative Assembly and was considered illegal by many, including the U.S. President Cleveland's administration, which condemned the use of U.S. troops in the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893. The constitution marked the beginning of the decline of the monarchy and the eventual illegal annexation of Hawai'i to the United States.
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It gave power to a coalition of American, European, and native Hawaiians
The Bayonet Constitution was a legal document drafted by anti-monarchists to strip the Hawaiian monarchy of its authority. It was signed by King Kalākaua under duress on July 6, 1887, and it transferred power to a coalition of American, European, and native Hawaiian people.
The constitution was drafted by a group of lawyers, including Sanford B. Dole and Lorrin A. Thurston, who were associated with the Hawaiian League. The Hawaiian League, formed in 1887, was a secret society of mostly non-native U.S. businessmen and politicians with sugar interests. They aimed to annex Hawaii to the United States and held a significant amount of the kingdom's wealth. The constitution was drafted in response to concerns about Walter M. Gibson, who supported the king's authority.
The Bayonet Constitution gave the Hawaiian monarch the power to appoint a cabinet but placed that cabinet under the authority of the legislature, which was dominated by wealthy, anti-monarchy elites. It also required that any executive actions of the monarch receive cabinet approval. The constitution disenfranchised many Native Hawaiians through income and literacy requirements, while also barring Asians from voting. This left power in the hands of American and European men, who were already profiting from their business interests in the kingdom.
The Bayonet Constitution was never ratified by the Legislative Assembly and sparked a series of rebellions by Native Hawaiians, who sought to restore the king's power. In 1893, Queen Lili'uokalani, who succeeded her brother King Kalākaua after his death in 1891, introduced a new constitution to restore her power and Hawaiian rights. However, this move was countered by the "Committee of Safety," a group of non-native U.S. businessmen and politicians, leading to the overthrow of the monarchy on January 17, 1893.
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It was signed under threat of violence
On June 30, 1887, King Kalākaua was confronted by an armed militia of the Honolulu Rifles, a group of soldiers that were secretly the military arm of the Hawaiian League, a non-native political party of mostly US businessmen. They were joined by politicians who were members of the Reform Party of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The Hawaiian League and American businessmen controlled a vast majority of the Hawaiian Kingdom's wealth at the time. They demanded that King Kalākaua dismiss his Cabinet, led by Walter M. Gibson, who supported the king's authority.
The king found himself with no choice but to comply with these demands. Within a week, a new constitution was drafted by lawyers, all associated with the Hawaiian League. The king signed it on July 6, 1887, under duress and with a genuine belief that his life was in danger if he did not. It became known as the Bayonet Constitution because of the threat of force used to gain Kalākaua's compliance. While Thurston and Dole denied the use of coercion and threats, Queen Liliuokalani asserted that the king's life was threatened: "He signed that constitution under absolute compulsion."
The Bayonet Constitution stripped the king of most 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, making it a body elected by wealthy landowners. The constitution also attempted to limit profligate spending, which had become a problem under Kalākaua's reign. 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 disenfranchised many Native Hawaiians through income and literacy requirements, while Asians were barred from voting entirely. This left power in the hands of American and European men, most of whom were already profiting from their business interests in the kingdom. The constitution was never ratified in the Hawaiian Kingdom's legislature.
The imposition of the Bayonet Constitution led to a series of rebellions by Native Hawaiians. In 1893, Queen Lili'uokalani, who succeeded her brother King Kalākaua after his death in 1891, introduced a new constitution to restore her power and Hawaiian rights. However, this move was countered by the "Committee of Safety," a group of non-native US businessmen and politicians with sugar interests. Threatened by this, the pro-American Western elites, bolstered by the landing of US Marines, overthrew the monarchy on January 17, 1893.
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It led to a series of rebellions by native Hawaiians
The Bayonet Constitution, also known as the 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, was a legal document drafted by anti-monarchists to transfer power from the Hawaiian monarchy to a coalition of American, European, and native Hawaiian people. The document was signed by King Kalākaua under duress, as an armed militia, the Honolulu Rifles, threatened to depose him. The constitution stripped the king of most of his personal authority, empowering the legislature and cabinet of the government.
The Bayonet Constitution led to a series of rebellions by native Hawaiians, as it significantly limited the power of the monarchy and disenfranchised many native Hawaiians. The document imposed income and literacy requirements that made it difficult for native Hawaiians to serve in the legislature or exercise their voting rights. This resulted in power being concentrated in the hands of American and European men, particularly wealthy landowners and businessmen who had a strong influence in the kingdom.
One notable rebellion was the Wilcox Rebellion on January 5, 1895, where an armed revolt was suppressed by the Republic of Hawaii forces. The leaders of this revolt, including Queen Lili'uokalani, were imprisoned. The queen had attempted to introduce a new constitution to restore her power and the rights of native Hawaiians, but this was countered by the "Committee of Safety," a group of non-native U.S. businessmen and politicians with sugar interests led by Sanford Dole.
The Bayonet Constitution also enabled the planter business interests to cede Pearl Harbor to the United States, further tying Hawaii's sugar economy to that of the U.S. This growing Western influence and the perceived illegitimacy of the constitution led to ongoing political turmoil and resistance from native Hawaiians, who sought to restore the power and authority of their monarchy.
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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 Bayonet Constitution was called such because King Kalākaua was forced to sign it under threat of violence and the use of an armed militia.
The Bayonet Constitution disenfranchised many Native Hawaiians and Asians through income, literacy, and landownership requirements, while granting suffrage to non-citizen white males who met these requirements. It also placed the cabinet under the authority of the legislature and required any executive actions of the monarch to receive cabinet approval.
The Bayonet Constitution facilitated the domination of the legislature by wealthy, anti-monarchy elites, leading to the illegal overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani in 1893 and the subsequent annexation of Hawaiʻi to the United States.
The Hawaiian League, a secret society formed in 1887, aimed to annex Hawaiʻi to the United States. They controlled a significant portion of the Hawaiian Kingdom's wealth and, along with the Honolulu Rifles and Reform Party politicians, demanded the dismissal of King Kalākaua's Cabinet. The Bayonet Constitution allowed them to seize complete control over the Hawaiian Kingdom and facilitated their ultimate goal of overthrowing the monarchy.
