Hawaii's last monarch, Queen Liliuokalani, was forced to abdicate by a group of buisnessmen and sugar planters backed by the US. When the Queen wanted to restore rights to native Hawaiians, the group of men formed the Committee of Safety who wanted to overthrow the monarch and seek annexation from the US. Faced against the committee and 162 US Marines and Navy sailors, the queen surrendered peacefully in order to avoid violence.