Wilcox Rebellion of 1889
| Wilcox rebellion of 1889 | |||||||
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| Part of the Hawaiian rebellions (1887–1895) | |||||||
.JPG) Modern photo of Iolani Palace |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Hawaiian League Kingdom of Hawaii
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 Liberal Patriotic Association (Redshirts) |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Volney V. Ashford Kalākaua John Paul Kahalewai Robert Parker Waipa
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Robert W. Wilcox (POW) Albert Loomens (POW) Robert N. Boyd (POW)
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| Strength | |||||||
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100-200 militiamen Kingdom of Hawaii 30 Royal Guardsmen |
150 militiamen | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | 7-8 killed 12 wounded 70 captured |
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Decisive Reformist Victory
The Wilcox rebellion of 1889 (also known as the Wilcox insurrection of 1889) was a revolt led by Robert Wilcox to force King Kalākaua of Hawaii to reenact the Hawaiian Constitution of 1864 from the Constitution of 1887.
Robert Wilcox returned to Hawaii from San Francisco with the knowledge of Princess Liliʻuokalani and stayed at her Palama residence He organized another rebellion that took place on July 30, 1889 to revive the powers of the monarch by forcing King Kalākaua to reinstate the Constitution of 1864. Wilcox let Robert N. Boyd in on the plot. Boyd was a friend of Wilcox from his academy in Italy. Wilcox and Boyd recruited about 80 Hawaiians, Europeans and Chinese to form the Liberal Patriotic Association. Chinese businessmen who lost rights under the Bayonet Constitution supported his plans and provided funding. Each rebel was bought a red shirt uniform inspired by Giuseppe Garibaldi's Redshirt volunteers, whom Wilcox admired.
The Bayonet Constitution was forced on Kalakaua by the Hawaiian League, a group of haole (white) businessmen, all citizens of Honolulu, with the support of the Honolulu Rifles, a volunteer regiment, authorised by the King but primarily loyal to the Reform Party, whose members were officers. The constitution was unpopular to many as it severely restricted the King's authority, and disenfranchised many of the common people by way of high property ownership requirements. The voting restrictions led the Reform Party to win the legislature in the elections on September 12, 1887, putting the government in the hands of American business interests.
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