While imprisoned in ʻIolani Palace, Liliʻuokalani signs a formal act of abdication in favor of the Republic of Hawaiʻi.
On February 24, 1895, while still imprisoned in ʻIolani Palace, Liliʻuokalani signed a formal act of abdication in favor of the Republic of Hawaiʻi.[1][17] She had been charged with misprision of treason, accused of knowing about but not reporting the royalist plot to restore the monarchy.
Under intense pressure and fearing harsh sentences for her supporters, including possible executions, Liliʻuokalani agreed to abdicate in exchange for clemency.[1][17] She later wrote that she believed this sacrifice was necessary to spare the lives of her loyal subjects.
This forced abdication represented the legal extinguishing, in republican eyes, of the Hawaiian monarchy. It completed the process begun with the 1893 overthrow and became a central episode in debates over the legitimacy of U.S. involvement and the republic’s authority.[1][2]
From a women’s-history perspective, February 24, 1895, exemplifies the extreme coercive pressures placed on women leaders confronting colonial regimes. Liliʻuokalani’s decision shows her prioritization of communal welfare over personal power, reinforcing her image as a monarch who understood leadership as duty and sacrifice. The abdication document has since served as a potent symbol of both injustice and the enduring moral stature of Hawaiʻi’s last queen.[1][15][17]