On July 6, 1887, the King of Hawaii was forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution, thus stripping Hawaii of its monarchy.

The Bayonet Constitution was written by politician and Hawaiian resident Lorrin A. Thurston. A meeting of 3,000 residents including the armed militia of the Honolulu Rifles and several politicians demanded that King David Kalakaua sign the document or be deposed. In signing the document, Kalakaua would remain King, but would lose all real power. He chose to sign the document on July 6, 1887, thus creating a constitutional monarchy in which the King had no real power and acted only as a figurehead. Thurston then became the powerful Interior Minister of Hawaii.

Further, the Constitution denied the right to vote on the basis of race, with all Asians, even those who were formerly allowed to vote, being denied the right. Only Hawaiian, American, and European males in Hawaii were granted voting rights - if they met the economic and literacy thresholds.

Formally called the 1887 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii, it became widely known as the Bayonet Constitution for the use of intimidation by the armed militia which forced King Kalakaua to sign it or be deposed. Kalakaua had been forced to sign the constitution under threat of use of military rifles with attached bayonets – hence, the name Bayonet Constitution gained its name.