Up until this point you’ve probably been able to guess each woman’s portrait, but do you recognize her? Probably not. That’s ok, I’ll teach you. Her legacy has been buried in the history books, but we can renew it by learning about her. This is Queen Lili’uokalani, last ruling monarch of Hawai’i.
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She became Queen after her brother, King Kalakaua, was forced to sign an illegal constitution. He was held at gun point to sign away his throne and the rights of the Hawaiian people. But she fought for those rights the rest of her life. She attempted to revise the illegal constitution. She demanded that native Hawaiian and Asian people be given the right to vote.
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She funded education for girls and created economic opportunity for women. She made numerous visits with her subjects, including those infected with leprosy. Ultimately, greedy American businessmen refused to accept her rule and placed her under house arrest with the help of the US Marines. Despite being wrongfully overthrown and imprisoned, she never gave up on her people, composing “Aloha ‘Oe” as a tribute to Hawaii. The song is considered to be the greatest single contribution to Hawaiian music.
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She became Queen after her brother, King Kalakaua, was forced to sign an illegal constitution. He was held at gun point to sign away his throne and the rights of the Hawaiian people. But she fought for those rights the rest of her life. She attempted to revise the illegal constitution. She demanded that native Hawaiian and Asian people be given the right to vote.
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She funded education for girls and created economic opportunity for women. She made numerous visits with her subjects, including those infected with leprosy. Ultimately, greedy American businessmen refused to accept her rule and placed her under house arrest with the help of the US Marines. Despite being wrongfully overthrown and imprisoned, she never gave up on her people, composing “Aloha ‘Oe” as a tribute to Hawaii. The song is considered to be the greatest single contribution to Hawaiian music.
