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The Proclamation of Rebellion, officially titled A Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition, was the response of George III of the United Kingdom
George III of the United Kingdom

George III was Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death....
 to the news of the Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle of Bunker Hill

The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775 on Breed's Hill, as part of the Siege of Boston during the American Revolutionary War. General Israel Putnam was in charge of the revolutionary forces, while Major-General William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe commanded the Kingdom of Great Britain forces....
 at the outset of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , also known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and Thirteen Colonies on the North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers....
. Issued August 23 1775, it declared elements of the American colonies
Thirteen Colonies

The Thirteen Colonies were part of what became known as British America, a name that was used by Great Britain until the Treaty of Paris recognized the independence of the original thirteen United States of America in 1783....
 in a state of "open and avowed rebellion
Rebellion

Rebellion is a refusal of obedience. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors from civil disobedience and mass nonviolent resistance, to violent and organized attempts to destroy an established authority such as the government....
". It ordered officials of the British Empire
British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
 "to use their utmost endeavours to withstand and suppress such rebellion". The Proclamation also encouraged subjects throughout the Empire, including those in Great Britain, to report anyone carrying on "traitorous correspondence" with the rebels so that they could be punished.

The Second Continental Congress
Second Continental Congress

The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that met beginning in May 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon after shooting in the American Revolutionary War had begun....
 issued a response to the Proclamation on December 6, saying that while they had always been loyal to the king, they had never owed any allegiance to the British Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain

The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Act of Union 1707 by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland....
, in which the colonies were not represented.






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The Proclamation of Rebellion, officially titled A Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition, was the response of George III of the United Kingdom
George III of the United Kingdom

George III was Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death....
 to the news of the Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle of Bunker Hill

The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775 on Breed's Hill, as part of the Siege of Boston during the American Revolutionary War. General Israel Putnam was in charge of the revolutionary forces, while Major-General William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe commanded the Kingdom of Great Britain forces....
 at the outset of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , also known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and Thirteen Colonies on the North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers....
. Issued August 23 1775, it declared elements of the American colonies
Thirteen Colonies

The Thirteen Colonies were part of what became known as British America, a name that was used by Great Britain until the Treaty of Paris recognized the independence of the original thirteen United States of America in 1783....
 in a state of "open and avowed rebellion
Rebellion

Rebellion is a refusal of obedience. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors from civil disobedience and mass nonviolent resistance, to violent and organized attempts to destroy an established authority such as the government....
". It ordered officials of the British Empire
British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
 "to use their utmost endeavours to withstand and suppress such rebellion". The Proclamation also encouraged subjects throughout the Empire, including those in Great Britain, to report anyone carrying on "traitorous correspondence" with the rebels so that they could be punished.

The Second Continental Congress
Second Continental Congress

The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that met beginning in May 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon after shooting in the American Revolutionary War had begun....
 issued a response to the Proclamation on December 6, saying that while they had always been loyal to the king, they had never owed any allegiance to the British Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain

The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Act of Union 1707 by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland....
, in which the colonies were not represented. Congress said that it was their duty to continue resisting Parliament's violations of the British Constitution, and that they would retaliate if any of their friends in Great Britain were punished for "favouring, aiding, or abetting the cause of American liberty". Congress maintained that they still hoped to avoid the "calamities" of a "civil war".

The Proclamation was written before Colonial Secretary Lord Dartmouth
William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth

William Legge 2nd Earl of Dartmouth Privy Council of Great Britain, Fellow of the Royal Society was a United Kingdom statesman who is most remembered for his part in the government before and during the American Revolution....
 had been given a copy of the Olive Branch Petition
Olive Branch Petition

When the Second Continental Congress convened in May 1775, most delegates followed John Dickinson in his quest to reconcile with George III of Great Britain....
 from the Continental Congress. Because the king refused to receive the petition, the Proclamation effectively served as an answer to the petition.

On October 26 1775, King George expanded on the Proclamation in his Speech from the Throne
Speech from the Throne

A speech from the throne is an event in certain monarchies in which the monarch reads a prepared speech to a complete session of parliament, outlining the government's agenda for the coming year....
 at the opening of Parliament. The King insisted that rebellion was being fomented by a "desperate conspiracy" of leaders whose claims of allegiance to him were insincere; what the rebels really wanted, he said, was to create an "independent Empire". The king indicated that he intended to deal with the crisis with armed force, and was even considering "friendly offers of foreign assistance" to suppress the rebellion. A pro-American minority in Parliament warned that the government was driving the colonists towards independence, something that many colonial leaders had insisted they did not desire.

The Proclamation and the Speech from the Throne undermined moderates in the Continental Congress like John Dickinson
John Dickinson (delegate)

John Dickinson was an United States lawyer and a politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware, Delaware. He was a militia officer during the American Revolution, a Continental Congressman from Pennsylvania and Delaware, a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention, Governor of Delaware, Governor of Pennsylv...
, who had been arguing that the king would find a way to resolve the dispute between the colonies and Parliament. When it became clear that the king was not inclined to act as a conciliator, colonial attachment to the Empire was weakened, and a movement towards declaring independence became a reality.

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