Proclamation of the Republic of Hawaii, 1894 (1894)

The Republic of Hawaii was proclaimed on July 4, 1894, following the end of the Provisional Government. Sanford B. Dole, a former legislator and judge, became its first elected president after the convention established the new state. The republic operated as a one-party entity until its annexation by the United States in 1898.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. The Republic emerged after the 1893 overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani by the Committee of Public Safety, which had intended Hawaii's annexation by the United States. President Grover Cleveland, a Democrat opposed to imperialism, refused annexation. The Morgan Report of February 26, 1894, concluded that the overthrow was locally based and had its origins in monarchical corruption.

Political Structure. The 1894 constitution specifically named Sanford B. Dole as president. The American Union Party won all legislative seats in 1894 because royalists boycotted the republic. Voting rights were restricted to natural-born or naturalized citizens of the former Kingdom, resulting in a Native Hawaiian majority voting block despite low overall turnout.

Diplomatic Recognition. Dole's government secured diplomatic recognition from every nation that had recognized the Kingdom of Hawaii. The Cleveland administration recognized the Republic on July 4, 1894. The government weathered several attempts to restore the monarchy, including a January 1895 counter-rebellion led by Robert William Wilcox, while remaining a short-lived one-party state.

People involved

Sources

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