Historical Events tagged with "bayonet"
Turns out history loves a label—battles, breakthroughs, and the occasional disaster, all neatly tagged for your browsing pleasure. Because sometimes you just need every weird invention in one place.
Kalākaua Signs the Bayonet Constitution
David Kalākaua, the reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, faced significant pressure from a group of American and European businessmen and political elites. On July 6, 1887, he was forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution, a document that drastically reduced his power and transferred significant authority to the legislature. The constitution was named for the gunpoint under which it was signed, reflecting the coercive nature of its acceptance by the monarch. This new arrangement sought to favor the wealthy sugar planters and other foreign interests in Hawaii.
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