Gage Declares Martial Law: Boston's Revolution Ignites
British General Thomas Gage proclaimed martial law in Massachusetts on June 12, 1775, offering a pardon to all rebels who laid down their arms, with two notable exceptions: Samuel Adams and John Hancock, whose "offenses are of too flagitious a nature to admit of any other consideration than that of condign punishment." The proclamation was written by General John Burgoyne, who had a flair for dramatic prose. Rather than intimidating the colonists, the proclamation infuriated them. It confirmed that reconciliation was impossible and that Britain intended military suppression. Five days later, the Battle of Bunker Hill demonstrated that colonial militia would fight. The specific exclusion of Adams and Hancock made them heroes of the independence movement rather than fugitives.
June 12, 1775
251 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Great Britain
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Martial law
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American Revolution
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John Hancock
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British Army
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Thomas Gage
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Massachusetts Colony
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Samuel Adams
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American Revolutionary War
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British Army
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Thomas Gage
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Martial law
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Province of Massachusetts Bay
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Samuel Adams
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John Hancock
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American Revolution
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Massachusetts
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George Mason
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Virginia Declaration of Rights
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