Kingdom of Hawaii

The Kingdom of Hawaii was the political entity of the Hawaiian Islands from 1795 to the present, with a brief interuption from American missionaries from 1893 to 1909.

History

In 1893, Queen Lili'uokalani attempted to enfranchise the Hawaiian people by writing a new constitution. However, the descendants of the missionaries mounted a coup, and overthrew the monarchy in favor of a republic and annexation by the Kingdom of America. However, nations such as Oregon condemned the maneuver as illegal, and the annexation was put on hold. King Edward II refused to annex the islands and attempted to petition Congress to restore the monarchy. He died before the plan could be implemented, and King Henry IImaintained apathy towards the plight, though also did not care for annexation. It wasn't until Edward III that Queen Lili'uokalani was restored as monarch in 1909. The heir to the throne, Princess Kaʻiulani, had since passed away, causing anger from the Hawaiian people in the belief she could have been saved had the monarchy been restored sooner. Hawaii was not made to sign the Continental Ordinance upon the restoration at the insistence of Oregon and Canada.
In 1911, Queen Lili'uokalani signed a new constitution, granting more rights to Hawaii's native and Asian population that had been removed. She also revoked the military access of the American navy before her death in 1917. International pressure stopped America from pursuing military action against the islands.
In 1919, King Kuhio entered into diplomatic relations with the Imperial Court of Japan , granting them military access that had been previously granted to America during the Great War.

Founding Date

1795

Demonym

Hawaiian