The king had good reason to be worried. The following year, a British naval captain occupied the Hawaiian kingdom for five months before his superiors arrived to overrule him. The kingdom’s return to Kamehameha’s rule on July 31, 1843, became known as Sovereignty Restoration Day.

A few months later, Britain and France recognized Hawaiian independence.

It was short-lived. A group of Americans and Europeans overthrew Queen Liliuokalani in 1893 when she tried to rewrite the Constitution, and Hawaii was annexed by the U.S. in 1898. In 1959, it became the 50th state.

Hawaiian Independence Day and Sovereignty Restoration Day continue to be observed by activists who say the islands are still being occupied, only now by the U.S.

Jennifer Jett contributed reporting.

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