The constitution had created a constitutional monarchy, but shared power with the legislature and courts. No longer would people be governed by the whims and moods of a despot.
Had it been any other than Lilioukalani, all might have been different.
Lilioukalani
Bless her , I think she was a real sweetheart ....
I am sorry for her sad fate .
The Constitution of 1887 (?) is the one referred to by the Hawaiian nationalists as the "Bayonet Constitution". I believe the first Constitution was put into force in about 1845, and provided for a bicameral legislature similar to England's, with a House of Nobles and a House of Commons (not the exact terms, but you get the gist). The Constitution of 1887 further limited the power of the monarch to a nearly figurehead position. The Hawaiian nationalists completely ignore that it provided for more democracy and less monarchy than the 1845 Constitution. I believe both Constitutions placed asset or income limitations on the eligible voters for the House of Nobles, which resulted in a haole-dominated upper legislature and a Hawaiian-dominated lower legislature. Of course, all the non-white or non-Hawaiians such as Japs, Chinese, even Portuguese and other non-English speaking haoles could not vote for either house. Thus, the "imposition" of the "white man's constitution", the U.S. Constitution, actually provided for more democracy in the long run.