106: The US Annexation of the Hawaiian Kingdom

“You have my love, and with sorrow I dismiss you.”

This is the story of the Hawaiian Kingdom’s end.

Queen Liliuokalani hates the Constitution of 1887–or “Bayonet” Constitution, as it’s known, since her predecessor and brother King Kalakaua signed it under duress. Under this constitution, wealth rather than citizenship determines who votes. This means a lot of wealthy sugar-planting foreigners of American and European origin control the legislature while few native Hawaiians are enfranchised.

Liliu is determined to change this. But can she beat back these sugar planters? Or will they dethrone her? The battlelines are drawn …

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