---
title: "Hawaiian Kingdom Overthrown"
year: 1893
country: "United States"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1893/overthrow-hawaiian-kingdom"
slug: "overthrow-hawaiian-kingdom"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1893-01-17"
---

# Hawaiian Kingdom Overthrown

> American businessmen and military personnel orchestrated the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani, establishing a provisional government that led to U.S. annexation and displaced Hawaiian sovereignty.

On January 17, 1893, a group of foreign businessmen and Hawaiian-born collaborators overthrew Queen Liliʻuokalani, the reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, in a coordinated coup on Oahu. The overthrow, orchestrated by the Committee of Safety, dismantled an independent nation and paved the way for U.S. annexation of Hawaii five years later.

## Summary

The Hawaiian Kingdom was overthrown in a coup d'état against Queen Liliʻuokalani that took place on January 17, 1893, on the island of Oahu. The coup was led by the Committee of Safety, composed of seven foreign-born permanent residents and six Hawaiian-born people in Honolulu. There was no Hawaiian army so the victorious Committee asked American minister John L. Stevens for US Marines. He sent in Marines and sailors to protect the new government, and to ward off a Japanese invasion. The committee established the independent nation of the Republic of Hawaii, but their ultimate goal was the annexation of the islands to the United States, which occurred in 1898.

## Key facts

- **Date**: January 17, 1893
- **Location**: Honolulu, Island of Oahu, Hawaiian Kingdom
- **Deposed monarch**: Queen Liliʻuokalani
- **Leading organization**: Committee of Safety
- **Committee composition**: 13 members: 7 foreign-born, 6 Hawaiian-born
- **Hawaiian military force**: None available for defense
- **U.S. response**: Minister John L. Stevens ordered landing of U.S. Marines
- **Provisional government established**: January 17, 1893
- **U.S. annexation**: July 4, 1898 (5 years later)

## Timeline

- **1887-06-30** - Bayonet Constitution imposed
  King Kalākaua was forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution, severely limiting Hawaiian monarchy powers and expanding foreign influence in governance.
- **1891-01-29** - King Kalākaua dies
  King Kalākaua's death brought his sister Liliʻuokalani to the throne as reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
- **1893-01-14** - Queen announces constitutional reforms
  Queen Liliʻuokalani announced her intention to promulgate a new constitution, restoring royal prerogatives and reducing foreign control—triggering alarm among foreign businessmen.
- **1893-01-16** - Committee of Safety mobilizes
  Foreign businessmen and Hawaiian-born collaborators formed the Committee of Safety to organize resistance to the Queen's constitutional plans.
- **1893-01-17** - Coup d'état executed
  The Committee of Safety led armed men to surround ʻIolani Palace. U.S. Minister John L. Stevens ordered the landing of U.S. Marines from the USS Boston, providing military presence that prevented any Hawaiian resistance.
- **1893-01-17** - Queen capitulates
  Queen Liliʻuokalani yielded her authority under protest, citing U.S. military force. She formally surrendered to prevent bloodshed and loss of life.
- **1893-01-17** - Provisional Government declared
  The Committee of Safety established a Provisional Government of Hawaii, with Sanford B. Dole as president, replacing the Hawaiian Kingdom.
- **1893-03-01** - U.S. investigating commission arrives
  President Cleveland sent special envoy James H. Blount to Hawaii to investigate the circumstances of the overthrow.
- **1893-11-18** - Blount Report released
  The Blount Report concluded that the overthrow was illegal and that U.S. military intervention was unjustified; Cleveland called for restoration of the Queen.
- **1894-07-04** - Republic of Hawaii proclaimed
  The Provisional Government transformed into the Republic of Hawaii, maintaining foreign control and excluding Hawaiian representation.
- **1895-01-01** - Hawaiian Kingdom restoration attempt fails
  Queen Liliʻuokalani led a failed armed restoration attempt; she was captured, tried, and imprisoned, effectively ending Hawaiian sovereignty efforts.
- **1898-07-04** - Hawaii annexed by United States
  The U.S. Congress formally annexed the Hawaiian Islands; Hawaii became a U.S. territory, ending the short-lived Republic and any possibility of Hawaiian Kingdom restoration.

## Media coverage

- **The New York Times** (1893-01-18): [Revolution in Hawaii - Queen Liliuokalani Deposed by Committee of Safety](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable)
  > A bloodless revolution has occurred in the Hawaiian Islands, resulting in the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani and the establishment of a provisional government by foreign residents and Hawaiian-born citizens on January 17. The queen, lacking military force to resist, has yielded to superior numbers.
- **The Times (London)** (1893-01-20): [Hawaiian Throne Seized - Foreign Committee Assumes Control of Island Kingdom](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable)
  > Synthesized from period reporting - Dispatches from San Francisco confirm that the Hawaiian monarchy has been supplanted without violence, with American and European merchants comprising the majority of the provisional government now ruling the islands.
- **San Francisco Chronicle** (1893-01-19): [Honolulu's New Era - Committee of Safety Ousts Queen, Establishes Provisional Rule](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable)
  > Intelligence from our Hawaiian correspondents details the swift and orderly transfer of power in Honolulu, where the Committee of Safety, acting without resistance from the queen's administration, has installed itself as the governing authority of the archipelago.
- **Le Figaro** (1893-01-22): [FR: 'Revolution a Hawaii - La Reine Detrônee par un Comite Etranger' / EN: Revolution in Hawaii - Queen Dethroned by Foreign Committee](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable)
  > FR: 'Revolution a Hawaii - La Reine Detrônee par un Comite Etranger' / EN: Revolution in Hawaii - Queen Dethroned by Foreign Committee. French observers note the consolidation of American and European commercial interests in the Pacific through the peaceful displacement of the Hawaiian sovereign.

## Impact

The 1893 coup eliminated Hawaiian sovereignty and replaced it with a provisional government controlled by foreign interests. It set Hawaii on an irreversible path toward U.S. territorial status and later statehood, erasing centuries of independent Indigenous governance in the Pacific.

## Sources

- [Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overthrow_of_the_Hawaiian_Kingdom) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1893/overthrow-hawaiian-kingdom