Letter from Queen Lili'uokalani to the House of Representatives
12/19/1898
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Lili’uokalani, Queen of Hawaii, sent this memorial to the U.S. House of Representatives protesting U.S. assertion of ownership of Hawaii. On July 7, 1898, the Hawaiian Islands had been annexed with a joint resolution of Congress.
Queen Lili’uokalani wrote this letter to "earnestly and respectfully protest against the assertion of ownership by the United States of America of the so-called Hawaiian Crown Islands amounting to about one million acres," and to "call upon the President and the National Legislature and the People of the United States to do justice in this matter and to restore to me this property, the enjoyment of which is being withheld from me by your Government under what must be a misapprehension of my right and title."
In 1887, Lili’uokalani's brother King Kalākaua had been on the throne. A group of non-native U.S. businessmen with sugar interests forced the king to sign a new constitution under the threat of violence. It stripped him of his power and many native Hawaiians of their rights. It came to be known as the "Bayonet Constitution" because Kalākaua signed it under duress.
When King Kalākaua died in 1891, Lili'uokalani succeeded him. She introduced a new constitution that would restore her power and Hawaiian rights. The move was countered by the "Committee of Safety," a group of non-native U.S. businessmen and politicians with sugar interests. Led by Sanford Dole, they had monetary reasons for doing so – they feared that the United States would establish a tariff on sugar imports, endangering their profits, and wanted to protect Hawaii's free-trade status.
The Committee overthrew Queen Lili'uokalani in a bloodless coup on January 17, 1893, with support from the U.S. Minister to Hawaii and a contingent of Marines. The Committee of Safety proclaimed itself to be the Provisional Government.
When President Grover Cleveland came into office, he appointed special investigator James Blount to look into the events. The Blount Commission found that Lili’uokalani had been overthrown illegally, and ordered that the American flag be lowered from Hawaiian government buildings.
Lili'uokalani never regained power, however. Sanford Dole, leader of the Committee of Safety and the president of the Provisional Government of Hawaii, refused to turn over power. Dole argued that the United States had no right to interfere in the internal affairs of Hawaii. The Provisional Government then proclaimed Hawaii a republic – the Republic of Hawaii – in 1894, with Dole its first president.
For the next several years, Queen Liliuokalani struggled to reinstate the monarchy and to restore the rights and customs of native Hawaiians, with letters like this and a petition from native Hawaiians. Nevertheless, the U.S. annexed Hawaii easily with an American-run government already in power, making it the U.S. Territory of Hawaii in 1898.
Queen Lili’uokalani wrote this letter to "earnestly and respectfully protest against the assertion of ownership by the United States of America of the so-called Hawaiian Crown Islands amounting to about one million acres," and to "call upon the President and the National Legislature and the People of the United States to do justice in this matter and to restore to me this property, the enjoyment of which is being withheld from me by your Government under what must be a misapprehension of my right and title."
In 1887, Lili’uokalani's brother King Kalākaua had been on the throne. A group of non-native U.S. businessmen with sugar interests forced the king to sign a new constitution under the threat of violence. It stripped him of his power and many native Hawaiians of their rights. It came to be known as the "Bayonet Constitution" because Kalākaua signed it under duress.
When King Kalākaua died in 1891, Lili'uokalani succeeded him. She introduced a new constitution that would restore her power and Hawaiian rights. The move was countered by the "Committee of Safety," a group of non-native U.S. businessmen and politicians with sugar interests. Led by Sanford Dole, they had monetary reasons for doing so – they feared that the United States would establish a tariff on sugar imports, endangering their profits, and wanted to protect Hawaii's free-trade status.
The Committee overthrew Queen Lili'uokalani in a bloodless coup on January 17, 1893, with support from the U.S. Minister to Hawaii and a contingent of Marines. The Committee of Safety proclaimed itself to be the Provisional Government.
When President Grover Cleveland came into office, he appointed special investigator James Blount to look into the events. The Blount Commission found that Lili’uokalani had been overthrown illegally, and ordered that the American flag be lowered from Hawaiian government buildings.
Lili'uokalani never regained power, however. Sanford Dole, leader of the Committee of Safety and the president of the Provisional Government of Hawaii, refused to turn over power. Dole argued that the United States had no right to interfere in the internal affairs of Hawaii. The Provisional Government then proclaimed Hawaii a republic – the Republic of Hawaii – in 1894, with Dole its first president.
For the next several years, Queen Liliuokalani struggled to reinstate the monarchy and to restore the rights and customs of native Hawaiians, with letters like this and a petition from native Hawaiians. Nevertheless, the U.S. annexed Hawaii easily with an American-run government already in power, making it the U.S. Territory of Hawaii in 1898.
Transcript
The House of Representatives of the United States:I, Liliuokalani of Hawaii, named heir apparent on the 10th day of April, 1877, and proclaimed Queen of the Hawaiian Islands on the 29th day of January, 1891, do hereby earnestly and respectfully protest against the assertion of ownership by the United States of America of the so-called Hawaiian Crown Islands amounting to about one million acres and which are my property, and I especially protest against such assertion of ownership as a taking of property without due process of law and without just or other compensation.
Therefore, supplementing my protest of June 17, 1897, I call upon the President and the National Legislature and the people of the United States to do justice in this matter and to restore to me this property, the enjoyment of which is being withheld from me by your Government under what must be a misapprehension of my right and title.
Done at Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America, this nineteenth day of December, in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight.
[signature] Liliuokalani
Witness
[signature]
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
National Archives Identifier: 306653
Full Citation: Memorial of Queen Lili'uokalani in relation to the Crown lands of Hawaii; 12/19/1898; Petitions and Memorials Referred to the Committee on the Territiories of the 55th Congress Regarding Hawaii; Petitions and Memorials, 1825 - 1946; Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, Record Group 233; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/memorial-queen-liliuokalani, October 9, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
