Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Number 1, 1 September 1981 Edition 02 — Hawaiian Monarchy [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiian Monarchy

iie, Staff Attorney -C)

American minister, it would be impossible for us to make any resistance . . . As night fell, Lili'uokalani, in order to avoid bloodshed and under protest, surrendered to the superior forces of the United States. At 7 p.m., the poliee station was handed over and a short time later, two hundred and seventy Hawaiian soldiers surrendered their arms. On February 1, 1893, Minister Stevens placed the Provisional Government under the protection of the UnitedStates pending negotiations, and hoisted the American flag over Hawaii. But the Provisional Government's hopes for a speedy annexation were short-lived. In the United States Harrison's pro-annexa-tionist administration had been defeated by Cleveland, who appointed his aide, James H. Blount, to investigate the actual events of the overthrown. When Blount arrived in Honolulu, he discovered the American flag flying and American troops stationed on shore. Blount ordered the flag lowered and the troops returned to their ship. Blount interviewed dozens of people from different factions and concluded that an accredited representative of the United States, Minister Stevens, had helped to overthrow the monarchy. He also reported that the troops from the Boston were landed, not to protect American lives and property, but to aid in overthrowing the existing government. Based on Blount's findings, President Cleveland acknowledged and eondemned the role of the United States and recommended actions to restore Lili'uokalani to the throne: . . . By an act of war, committed with the participation of a diplomatic representative of the United States and without authority of Congress, the Government of a feeble but friendly and confiding people has been overthrown. A substantial wrong has thus been done whieh a due regard for our

President Cleveland "acknowledged and condemned the role of the United States and recommended actions to restore Lili'uokalani to the throne:"

national character as well as the rights of the injured people requires we should endeavor to repair . . . (I)f a feeble but friendly state is in danger of being robbed of its independence and its sovereignty by a misuse of the name and power of the United States, the United States cannot fail to vindicate its honor and its sense of justice by an earnest effort to make all possible reparation . . . The Provisional Government refused to return power to Lili'uokalani and attempts by her supporters to restore the monarchy resulted in her arrest and subsequent confinement. In February of 1894, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, controlled by pro-annexationists, held hearings in Washington on the Hawaiian incident and issued a report condoning Steven's actions and recognizing the Provisional Government. The report classified U.S. relations with Hawaii as unique and not to be judged by the accepted precepts of diplomatic conduct between nations since "Hawaii has been all the time under a virtual suzerainty of the United States ..." Blount called the report an outrage. When Hawaii was finally annexed to the United States in 1898, in a letter to his former attorney general, President Cleveland wrote:

"Hawaii is ours. As I look back upon thefirststeps in this miserable business and as I contemplate the means used to complete the outrage, I am ashamed of the whole affair. "

ē 3 V 0 3 2 a o X m GŌ C o u U • X 10 eo "3 X 0 > 0 w 3 o e a 6 0 e o 0 E 0) a

Queen Lili'uokalani just bejore her death.

Funeral procession of Queen Lili'uokalani, 191 7.

Lowering of the Hawaiian flag, August 12, 1898.