ʻAi Noa and Constitutional Change

In 1819, after Kamehameha I died, Liholiho (Kamehameha II) and Kaʻahumanu ended the kapu system by eating together, an act called ʻai noa.

The kingdom adopted its first constitution in 1840. The Māhele of 1848 divided land among the crown, the government and the chiefs, opening the way to private land ownership.