Last updated · JUNE 20, 2026

Chronology

A timeline of Hawaiian sovereignty.

From the unification of the islands under Kamehameha I to the present-day movements for restored independence. Each entry is summarised from publicly available primary documents.

1810Kingdom

Unification under Kamehameha I

Kamehameha I completes the political unification of the Hawaiian Islands, founding the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.

1840Kingdom

First Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom

Kamehameha III promulgates Hawaiʻi's first written constitution, establishing a constitutional monarchy with an elected legislature.

1843Nov 28Kingdom

Anglo-Franco Proclamation

Britain and France jointly recognize Hawaiian independence. November 28 (Lā Kūʻokoʻa) is observed thereafter as Hawaiian Independence Day.

1849Kingdom

U.S.–Hawaiian Treaty of Friendship, Commerce & Navigation

Bilateral treaty between the Hawaiian Kingdom and the United States — a treaty never abrogated by either party.

1887Kingdom

Bayonet Constitution

Under armed pressure from the Honolulu Rifles, King Kalākaua signs a constitution stripping the monarchy of power and disenfranchising most Native Hawaiians and Asian residents.

1893Jan 17Overthrow

Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom

The "Committee of Safety," backed by U.S. Marines from the USS Boston, declares a Provisional Government. Queen Liliʻuokalani yields her authority under protest to the United States, not to the Provisional Government.

1893Dec 18Overthrow

Blount Report

Special Commissioner James Blount, commissioned by President Cleveland, concludes that the overthrow was accomplished with the active assistance of U.S. diplomatic and military forces. This is an executive investigation’s finding, later contested by the 1894 Morgan Report, not a judicial determination.

1897Overthrow

Kūʻē Petitions

Hui Aloha ʻĀina and Hui Kālaiʻāina collect 21,269 signatures against annexation — a majority of the adult Native Hawaiian population. A delegation carries them to Washington, defeating the proposed treaty in the Senate.

1898Territory

Newlands Resolution

Following the failure of two annexation treaties, the U.S. Congress passes a joint resolution purporting to annex Hawaiʻi during the Spanish–American War.

1900Territory

Hawaiian Organic Act

Congress establishes the Territory of Hawaiʻi and a territorial government.

1921Territory

Hawaiian Homes Commission Act

Sets aside ~200,000 acres of public lands for homesteading by Native Hawaiians of 50% or more blood quantum — a controversial framework still in effect.

1959Statehood

Statehood Plebiscite

Hawaiian voters approve admission as the 50th U.S. state. The ballot offered two choices — statehood or continued territorial status — with no independence option. Sovereignty scholars argue this fell short of UN decolonization standards (Resolutions 742 and 1541, both non-binding recommendations); that conclusion is an argument, not a ruling.

1978Statehood

Office of Hawaiian Affairs Established

A Hawaiʻi State Constitutional Convention creates OHA to manage assets and benefits for Native Hawaiians, including a share of ceded-lands revenue.

1993Nov 23Contemporary

Apology Resolution (Public Law 103-150)

Congress and President Clinton formally apologize for the overthrow and acknowledge that "the Native Hawaiian people never directly relinquished their claims to their inherent sovereignty as a people."

2008Contemporary

Hawaii v. Office of Hawaiian Affairs

The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Apology Resolution did not, as a matter of law, alter title to ceded lands — leaving the political and moral questions unresolved.

2014Contemporary

Department of the Interior Hearings

DOI holds public hearings on whether to establish a government-to-government relationship with a reorganized Native Hawaiian governing entity. Most Native Hawaiian testimony opposes federal recognition.

2019Contemporary

Maunakea Standoff

Kiaʻi (protectors) block construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Maunakea, drawing global attention to ongoing disputes over Hawaiian land, governance, and consent.