Tomorrow on January 17 we are asked to wear black in remembrance to the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani by American backed rebels had brought the Hawaiian Islands into the American Empire which had been culminating with its westward expansion. To this day the Islands remain under the United States, and there’s lots of history behind the rising tensions that would boil over into the chaotic events that happened on this day in history.

When foreigners grew more and more powerful in the Kingdom's economy, they guided government foreign policy to befriend the major western powers in their personal interests. The wealth that they accumulated through their control only strengthened the positions they held, which they strategically used to gain more influence on the monarchy. As it was during King Kalākaua’s reign, the pressure behind him to create a friendly trade treaty with the United States had amassed great fortunes in the pockets of the businessmen. But the threat of Hawaiian identity and nationalism reminded the foreign opportunists that without total control, there always remained a chance that it could all go against them. They used their sphere to rebel against Kalākaua under the Bayonet Constitution (1887) which limited his powers and disenfranchised the Kānaka Maoli from voting and started the events that would bring division against Royalists and Annexationists.

Under threat of the Annexationist ‘Hawaiian League,’ the rest of Kalākauas reign would be short until the assumption of Hawaii’s Queen Lili’uokalani. She would assume power on January 29, 1891 and fought with the Annexationists who were destroying the Kingdom from within. But tensions rose from the powerful leader and a political crisis took over the legislature as chaos and infighting came from all of the troubles that had remained unresolved. When Lili’uokalani had brought the issue of creating a new constitution, her enemies knew that they had to take action. The Bayonet Constitution which had oppressed the monarch, the poor, and the Hawaiians had brought reform as a popular initiative. But the threat of a powerful monarchy was enough basis to initiate a revolution and rise up through force. Weapons were sent for the plot while they contacted American Forces of the threat that was placed on American lives and in response Royalists rallied the Queen's Guard to prepare for turmoil. Then when American sailors and marines landed in Oahu, the mere action of their arrival led Lili’uokalani to surrender to the United States in order to avoid armed conflict and the monarchy fell on January 17, 1893.

As Lili’uokalani had specifically given control to the U.S government, she sent representatives to argue the case against annexation and to seek support for the restoration of the monarchy. Their efforts commenced and President Grover Cleveland sided with the Queen and called for a restoration. However the importance of Hawaii to America had brought a desire to annex Hawaii and take advantage of the situation and delayed any further action. The stalemate would bring in the Wilcox Rebellion to attempt a failed violent restoration on January 6, 1895 with the Queen abdicating her throne in exchange for the counter revolutionaries' release and she was placed under house arrest. The issue of annexation would continue on with petitions organized to display the peoples will against it, however their efforts were fruitless in preventing the expansion of America’s sphere of influence. 

To this day, the question of Hawaiian sovereignty remains an ongoing debate in our local community. The Onipa’a Peace March which brings sovereignty activists together to remember the coup d'état against the internationally recognized Hawaiian Kingdom continues the legacy. In 1993 a march towards Iolani Palace on the 100th anniversary of the Overthrow had brought thousands of people together to continue the call on the Federal and State governments to take action in correcting the troubles that came from American Involvement. With an official apology from the American Federal Government being sent later that year from Congress. But as of now, after 131 years, little progress has been made in the long discussion regarding the debate about Hawaii’s Monarchy and remains an ongoing topic in our community.