14. The Republic of Hawaii was an abortive effort to wrest independence from an increasingly autocratic dynasty
Winning recognition from European powers, the Kingdom of Hawaii, formed in 1795 following the unification of the Pacific islands under Kamehameha I, suffered after the heirless death of King William C. Lunalilo in 1874. Prompting the election of a new dynasty headed by David Kalākaua to fill the vacant throne, by 1887 the unpopular ruler faced insurrection. Forced, under threat of deposition by an armed group of three thousand residents, to sign a new constitution stripping Kalākaua of most of his authority, the “Bayonet Constitution” subsequently redistributed the power to the legislative branch.
Succeeded by his sister in 1791, who ascended in the midst of an economic crisis, Liliʻuokalani sought to restore the power of the monarchy and rescind the four-year-old constitution. Launching a campaign to this effect, the alarmed populace struck back, removing the queen from office in 1893 and instituting a provisional government under a Committee of Safety. Formally abolishing the monarchy on July 4, 1894, despite a failed effort in January 1895 to restore the Kalākauan monarchy the Republic of Hawaii would nonetheless be a short-lived endeavor, suffering annexation at the hands of the United States of America just four years later to become the Territory of Hawaii.