Announcement of restorative Hawaiian constitution

On January 14, 1893, Queen Liliʻuokalani announced plans for a new constitution intended to restore authority to the Hawaiian monarchy and political rights to Native Hawaiian citizens.[1][15] Her proposal sought to reverse the 1887 "Bayonet Constitution," which had been imposed under duress on King Kalākaua by an armed militia aligned with U.S. business interests.

The draft constitution would have expanded suffrage for Hawaiian subjects and curtailed the disproportionate influence of foreign landowners and businessmen.[1][15] Liliʻuokalani presented this initiative after consulting advisors and amid growing public support for reforms, believing that peaceful constitutional change was essential to protect her people’s autonomy.

This announcement, however, alarmed the powerful "Committee of Safety," composed largely of American and European residents and their Hawaiian allies of U.S. descent.[1] They interpreted her move as a threat to their economic and political dominance and quickly used it to justify organizing a coup.

Historically, January 14, 1893, marks the high point of Liliʻuokalani’s effort to reclaim Native Hawaiian self-governance through legal means. It demonstrates her strategic use of constitutional tools rather than violence, and it reveals the limits of small nations’ ability to reform in the face of imperial pressure. Her attempt stands today as an emblem of feminist and indigenous leadership seeking justice within the framework of law.[1][7][15]