Provisional Government of Hawaii

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Provisional Government of Hawaiʻi was proclaimed on January 17, 1893 by the 13 member Committee of Safety under the leadership of Lorrin A. Thurston and Sanford B. Dole. It governed Hawaiʻi after the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani until the Republic of Hawaiʻi was established on July 4, 1894.

Following the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy and the establishment of the Provisional Government in Hawaiʻi, Lorrin A. Thurston actively lobbied for annexation to the United States, negotiating a treaty with President Benjamin Harrison that was sent to the Senate for approval. At the same time Princess Victoria Kaʻiulani was in Washington D.C. to state that the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy was illegal.

President Grover Cleveland opposed the idea of annexation, being an anti-imperialist himself, and withdrew the treaty negotiated by President Benjamin Harrison upon taking office. After commissioning the secret Blount Report, he stated that the U.S. had inappropriately used military force and called for the reinstatement of Queen Liliʻuokalani. The matter was referred by Cleveland to Congress after Sanford Dole refused Cleveland's demands, and the U.S. Senate held a further investigation, culminating in the Morgan Report [1], which completely exonerated the U.S. from any involvement in the overthrow. After the findings of this committee were submitted, Cleveland reversed his position, and accepted the Provisional Government as legitimate, and rebuffed further requests from the queen to interfere in the matter.

Following the Morgan Report, and the Turpie Resolution which stated a policy of non-interference in Hawaiian affairs by the U.S., Lorrin A. Thurston and the Provisional Government of Hawaiʻi convened a constitutional convention and established the Republic of Hawaiʻi. This government maintained power until the U.S. finally agreed to annex Hawaiʻi in 1898.