By 1887, some people were very frustrated with Kalākaua. They blamed him for the Kingdom's growing debt. They accused him of being a spendthrift. Some foreigners wanted to force him to abdicate and put his sister Liliuokalani onto the throne. Others wanted to end the monarchy altogether and make the islands part of the United States. The people who wanted to be part of the United States formed a group called the Hawaiian League. In 1887, members of the League armed with guns got together. The King was frightened by this show of force. He offered to transfer his powers to the foreign ministers representing the United States, the United Kingdom, or Portugal. The members of the league instead asked him to sign a new constitution.