1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom

King David Kalākaua (left) signed the 1887 Constitution under threat of deposition; Lorrin A. Thurston (right) was one of its writers.

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History of Hawaii
Early history (pre–1795) Discovery and settlement c. 1219–1266 Battle of Kealakekua Bay 1779
Hawaiian Kingdom (1795–1893) Kamehameha dynasty 1795–1874 Unification of Hawaii 1810 Laplace affair 1839 Paulet affair 1943 French invasion of Honolulu 1849 American Civil War 1861–1865 Kalākaua dynasty 1874–1893 Reciprocity Treaty 1875 Bayonet Constitution 1887 Rebellions and revolutions 1887–1895 Overthrow 1893
Provisional (1893–1894) Leper War on Kauaʻi 1893 Black Week 1893–1894
Republic of Hawaii (1894–1898) Counter-Revolution 1895 Annexation 1898
Territory of Hawaii (1898–1959) Hawaiian Organic Act 1900 Oahu sugar strike 1920 Hanapēpē Massacre 1924 Massie Trial 1932 World War II 1939–1945 Attack on Pearl Harbor 1941 Niihau incident 1941 Honouliuli Internment Camp 1943–1946 Democratic Revolution 1954
State of Hawaii (1959–present) Hawaii Admission Act 1959 Kalama Valley protests 1971 State Constitutional Convention 1978 Xerox murders 1999 Occupation of Iolani Palace 2008 Honolulu molasses spill 2013 TMT protests 2014–now False missile alert 2018 Hurricane Lane 2018 COVID-19 pandemic 2020–now George Floyd protests 2020 Red Hill water crisis 2021–now Hawaii wildfires 2023
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Part of a series on the
Hawaiian sovereignty movement
The inverted Hawaiian flag represents the Hawaiian Kingdom in distress and is the main symbol of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement.
Main issues
Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom Opposition to the overthrow Legal status of Hawaii US federal recognition of Native Hawaiians
Governments
Chiefdom Kingdom Provisional Government Government in Exile Republic Territory State
Historical conflicts
Hawaiian rebellions (1887–1895) Wilcox rebellion of 1889 Leper War on Kauaʻi Black Week (Hawaii) 1895 Wilcox rebellion
Modern events
Hawaiian Renaissance 2008 occupation of Iolani Palace 125th anniversary of the overthrow
Parties and organizations
Aloha ʻĀina Party Home Rule Party of Hawaii Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Documents and ideas
Sovereignty Restoration Day Blount Report Morgan Report Bayonet Constitution Proposed 1893 Constitution Kūʻē Petitions Newlands Resolution Hawaiian Organic Act Apology Resolution Akaka Bill
Books
Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen Kaua Kuloko 1895[1]
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The 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom was a legal document prepared by anti-monarchists to strip the absolute Hawaiian monarchy of much of its authority, initiating a transfer of power to a coalition of American, European and native Hawaiian people. It became known as the Bayonet Constitution for the rising by the armed militia which forced King Kalākaua to sign it or be deposed.^[2][3]