ABSTRACT
Missionary descendants solicited and gained support from American Consul John Stevens and the captain of the USS Boston for a coup but actually never asked them to land; they first wanted to draw up documents for a provisional government. Based on the resulting report (Blount 1893), which found that most Island residents opposed the coup, Grover Cleveland ordered the flag lowered, the return of American soldiers to their ships, and the withdrawal of the USS Boston. Cleveland characterized the coup as unconstitutional and a violation of international law: The landing of American troops for the coup violated the Reciprocity Treaty, an offense that was an international crime established by the Congress of Vienna in 1815. On July 4, 1894, the coup leaders proclaimed the Republic of Hawai'i, hoping for the eventual election of a different American president.
