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Primary sourceBook1898

Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen

Liliʻuokalani · 1898

Liliʻuokalani's own 1898 memoir, written to tell her side of the overthrow and to argue against American annexation.

Her own first-person account of her reign, overthrow and imprisonment, written to argue against annexation.

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Black-and-white studio portrait of a woman standing full length beside an upholstered chair with a fur-like back, wearing a light pale gown with ruffled trim, a long train pooling on the floor, a dark sash across her chest with a decorative badge, and a necklace. Painted backdrop of foliage behind her.
Frontispiece photograph of Queen Liliʻuokalani, from Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen, 1898.

About this source

What it is

A book written by Queen Liliʻuokalani, the last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, and published in 1898. It covers her childhood, her accession, the overthrow of her government, her appeals to the United States, and her arrest and trial after an 1895 uprising.

Why it matters

Written the same year the United States annexed Hawaiʻi, the book was meant to turn American opinion against annexation. It is one of the key sources used by the Hawaiian sovereignty movement to document the overthrow, though some of its claims are disputed by other records such as the Morgan Report. It shows how Liliʻuokalani used writing as a political tool after losing her throne.

Look closer

  • Why might a deposed queen choose to write a book for an American audience?
  • How might her account differ from the official U.S. government reports of the same events?
  • What does the frontispiece portrait of her seem designed to communicate?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Queen Liliʻuokalani on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Queen Liliʻuokalani sources

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Page of the 1898 Joint Resolution to Provide for Annexing the Hawaiian Islands to the United States, handwritten annotation 'Public Resolution No. 51' at top, with printed text of the resolution's preamble and sections below.Document

Primary source

Joint Resolution to Provide for Annexing the Hawaiian Islands to the United States

United States Congress · 7 July 1898

Sheet music cover for 'Aloha Oe', reading 'Aloha Oe. Song and Chorus', with an ornate border, a crown and 'Oniipaa' monogram emblem, and text 'Composed by Her Royal Highness Princess Liliuokalani, of Honolulu, Oahu, H.I.' Published by The Pacific Music Co., 208 Post St., San Francisco, Cal.Artifact

Primary source

Aloha ʻOe

Liliʻuokalani · c. 1877-1878

Black-and-white studio portrait of a seated woman in a dark dress with lace trim at the bodice, hands folded in her lap, wearing rings. She sits in an ornate carved wooden armchair with upholstered back and arms against a pale paneled backdrop.Photograph

Primary source

Liliuokalani in 1891

James J. Williams · 1891

Photograph of a large patchwork quilt with nine square blocks in a three by three grid, bordered in dark brown. Blocks feature crazy-quilt piecing in varied fabrics, embroidery, and embroidered text, with a central block of blue and red fabric bearing printed script.Artifact

Primary source

Imprisonment Quilt

Liliʻuokalani · 1895

Black-and-white photograph of people climbing stone steps toward a palace. A woman in a dark dress is at the center, flanked by men in dark suits and hats. Horse-drawn carriages with canopies stand on a dirt road, a mounted rider is in the background, and a tall street lamp stands by the steps. Trees and a white colonial building are behind. The number 53 is written in the lower right corner.Photograph

Primary source

Liliuokalani entering palace for trial of 1895

James J. Williams · 1895

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