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Primary sourceBook1895

The Rebellion of 1895

Ed Towse · 1895

An eyewitness account of the 1895 royalist uprising that attempted to restore Queen Liliʻuokalani to power.

An eyewitness account of the 1895 royalist rebellion aimed at restoring Liliʻuokalani, whose failure led to her arrest.

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The Rebellion of 1895PDF · 116 pages
Ed Towse, The Rebellion of 1895, 1895. Scanned book, Internet Archive.

About this source

What it is

This is a book by Ed Towse, published in 1895 by the Hawaiian Star, giving a detailed history of the armed insurrection against the Republic of Hawaii, along with lists of the National Guard and Citizen's Guard who put it down.

Why it matters

The author describes himself as someone who witnessed much of what he wrote about, having served on the staff opposing the rebels. The uprising he describes was an attempt by royalist supporters to restore Liliʻuokalani to the throne after her overthrow, and its failure led to her arrest.

Look closer

  • The author admits the accounts 'were written in a rush' and contain 'inaccuracies' — what does that tell you about using it as a source?
  • Whose side was the author on, and how might that shape his account?
  • What might be missing from a history written by someone fighting against the rebellion?

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.

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