Stuff You Missed in History Class Lili'uokalani: Who was the Last Queen of Hawaii?
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Jul 12, 2010 Discover the captivating story of Lili'uokalani, Hawaii's last queen. Learn how Western contact transformed Hawaiian life and the impact of sugar trade on native power. Delve into the forced Bayonet Constitution that disenfranchised natives and the events leading to the queen's surrender amid a coup. Explore her efforts to protect Hawaiian interests, her subsequent arrest, and the rise of opposition against U.S. annexation. Finally, see how Lili'uokalani's legacy inspired modern movements for Hawaiian sovereignty.
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Westernization Began With Contact
- Captain Cook's arrival started a century-long Western transformation of Hawaii's society and institutions.
- Introduction of livestock, written language, and religion reshaped Hawaiian life and governance.
Sugar Economics Undermined The Monarchy
- Economic interests, particularly sugar, steadily eroded the monarchy's political power through legal and economic changes.
- The 1848 Great Mahele enabling private land ownership accelerated foreign business control.
The Bayonet Constitution Was Forced On The King
- In 1889 the Honolulu Rifles forced King Kalakaua to accept the Bayonet Constitution at gunpoint.
- The constitution stripped royal power and imposed property and income voting requirements that disenfranchised most native Hawaiians.