AAPI Civil Rights Heroes - Queen Lili`uokalani

Queen Lili`uokalani (1838-1917)

Queen Lili`uokalani ascended the throne in 1891 and was determined to strengthen the political power of the Hawaiian monarchy and to limit suffrage to subjects of the kingdom.

Her attempt to pass a new constitution galvanized opposition forces, which were comprised of Hawai`i born citizens of American parents, naturalized citizens and foreign nationals. This group, with the support of the American Minister to Hawai`i, orchestrated the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and the establishment of a provisional government. In 1893, Queen Lili`uokalani yielded her authority.

“. . . Now to avoid any collision of armed forces, and perhaps the loss of life, I do this under protest and impelled by said force yield my authority until such time as the Government of the United States shall, upon facts being presented to it, undo the action of its representatives and reinstate me in the authority which I claim as the Constitutional Sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands.” - Queen Lili`uokalani to Sanford B. Dole, Jan 17, 1893

In 1895, an attempt by Hawaiian royalists to restore the Queen to power resulted in the Queen’s arrest. She was forced to sign a document of abdication that relinquished all her future claims to the throne. Following this, she endured a humiliating public trial before a military tribunal in her former throne room. Convicted of having knowledge of a royalist plot, Lili`uokalani was imprisoned in an upstairs bedroom of `Iolani Palace. After her release, Lili`uokalani visited the United States. During her time on the mainland, she published an autobiography, Hawai`i’s Story by Hawai`i’s Queen.

The Queen was also was a talented musician and accomplished composer. She wrote approximately 165 songs, including “Ke Aloha O Ka Haku” -- “The Queen’s Prayer,” which was written during her imprisonment. Her best known composition was the the immensely popular and lasting favorite “Aloha `Oe.” Queen Lili`uokalani passed away in 1917 having seen her beloved kingdom become a US territory. In 1959, Hawai`i became America’s 50th state.

Still, Hawaiians never forgot their last Queen. A bronze statue of Lili`uokalani stands outside `Iolani Palace, where to this day, visitors come bearing fresh flowers. In 1993, 100 years after the overthrow, President Clinton signed a Congressional resolution in which the United States government formally apologized to the Native Hawaiian people.

(Source: adapted from `Iolani Palace. For more information, please go to iolanipalace.org)