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The statue of Queen Lili`uokalani, which stands between `Iolani Palace and the State Capitol, was draped with leis for last year's centennial observance of the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy. (Photo by Linda Ching.)
Winds of profound change swept over Hawai`i in the 1890s, turbulent times that altered the islands' future forever
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`Iolani Palace , bedecked in Hawaiian flags for King Kalakaua's birthday celebration, proudly recalls the days of Hawai`i's monarchy. (Photo by Brett Uprichard)
King Kalakaua was forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution in 1887, sharply curtailing his powers and diminishing the Native Hawaiians' voice in government. (Hawai`i Visitors Bureau)
Lorrin Thurston , grandson of American missionaries, was the firebrand behind the revolution against the Hawaiian Monarchy. (Hawai`i State Archives)
Robert Wilcox led an insurrection in 1889 against the Bayonet Constitution and a counterrevution in 1895 attempting to restore the queen to the throne. (Hawai`i State Archives)
The palace's throne room , once the scene of grand royal balls, later stripped bare as a military court room where Lili`uokalani was tried on treason-related charges, today is once again restored to its former splendor. (Milroy/McAleer for the Friends of `Iolani Palace)
Queen Lili`uokalani yielded her throne under protest, trusting the American government would right the wrong done to her people when U.S. troops backed the revolutionaries. (Hawai`i State Archives)
In 1899, six years after the monarchy was overthrown, Princess Ka`iulani , heir to the lost throne, died at age 23. (Bishop Museum)
Sanford Dole , who had favored a regency holding the throne in trust for Princess Ka`iulani rather than abolishing the monarchy, became president of the provisional government that replaced it. (Hawai`i State Archives)
After the queen yielded her authority on Jan. 17, 1893, her Royal Guards surrendered their arms at the palace barracks. (Hawai`i State Archives)
Lili`uokalani is escorted by guards up the steps of the palace, where she was imprisoned after a cache of arms was found in her garden during the counterrevolution of 1895. (Hawai`i State Archives)
A queen to the end to her people, Lili`uokalani died in 1917, her plea for justice unanswered." (Hawai`i State Archives)
`Iolani Palace , draped in black for last year's observance of the centennial of the overthrow of the monarchy, was a moving, powerful symbol to Hawaiians who participated in a torchlight ceremony.