1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom

Lorrin A. Thurston, the main instigator of the subsequent overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, prepared a list of demands to the king.

On the next morning, July 1, 1887, a shipment of arms was discovered from a neutral Australian ship (later found to be smooth-bore hunting guns used to scare birds from farmers' fields).

[6]: 56  Kalākaua called in US Minister George W. Merrill, and the British, French, Portuguese, and Japanese representatives and requested help, but they all suggested that he should comply with any demands, which he did.

[9] While Thurston and Dole denied this use of coercion and threats, Queen Liliuokalani asserted that Kalākaua's life was threatened: "He signed that constitution under absolute compulsion.

The legislature also gained the authority to imprison those that disrespected, published false reports or comments about or threatened or assaulted any of its members.

[11][12] The 1887 constitution had also attempted to limit profligate spending, which had become a problem under Kalākaua's reign, namely with the costly construction and maintenance of Iolani Palace.

The constitution stipulated that the King was required to appoint a Minister of Finance to oversee government spending and submit an annual budget proposal to the legislature.

Hawaiian, American, and European men were granted full voting rights only if they met the economic and literacy thresholds.

[citation needed] Disproportionately, it was white male residents, wealthy from the sugar industry, who retained suffrage with the Bayonet Constitution.

Based on this Queen Liliuokalani proposed the removal of power from the legislature in January 1893, by a new constitution that would restore absolute monarchy.