| Proclamation of Rebellion | |
|---|---|
 Eyre and Strahan Broadside | |
| Date effective | 23 August 1775 (1775-08-23) |
| Repealed | 5 December 1782 (1782-12-05)(de facto) |
| Signatories | George III of Great Britain |
| Subject | American Revolution |
| Full text | |
 Declaration of Rebellion atWikisource | |
TheProclamation of Rebellion, officially titledA Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition, was the response of KingGeorge III to the news of theBattle of Bunker Hill at the outset of theAmerican Revolutionary War. Issued on 23 August 1775, it declared elements of theAmerican colonies in a state of "open and avowedrebellion". It ordered officials of theempire "to use their utmost endeavours to withstand and suppress such rebellion". The 1775 proclamation of rebellion also encouragedsubjects throughout the empire, including those inBritain, to report anyone carrying on "traitorous correspondence" with the rebels to be punished.
The Proclamation of Rebellion was drafted before Colonial SecretaryLord Dartmouth had been given a copy of theSecond Continental Congress'sOlive Branch Petition. KingGeorge III, however, refused to receive the colonial petition, so the Proclamation of Rebellion of 23 August 1775 effectively served as the King's answer to it.[1]
On 27 October,North's Cabinet expanded on the proclamation in theSpeech from the Throne read by King George III at theopening of Parliament.[2] The King's speech insisted that rebellion was being fomented by a "desperate conspiracy" of leaders whose claims of allegiance to the King were insincere; what the rebels really wanted, he said, was to create an "independent empire". The speech indicated that King George intended to deal with the crisis with armed force and was even considering "friendly offers of foreign assistance" to suppress the rebellion without pitting Briton against Briton. A pro-American minority of members withinParliament at the time warned the government was driving the colonists towards independence, something many colonial leaders insisted they did not desire.[3]
On 6 December 1775, theContinental Congress issued aresponse to the Proclamation of Rebellion saying that, while they had always been loyal to the King, Parliament never had legitimate claim to authority over them, becausethe colonies were not democratically represented. Congress argued it was their duty to continue resistingParliament's violations of theBritish Constitution, and that—while they continued to hope to avoid the "calamities" of a "civil war"—would retaliate if any supporters in Great Britain were punished for "favouring, aiding, or abetting the cause of American liberty."[4]
The King's proclamation and the speech from the throne undermined moderates in Congress likeJohn Dickinson, who had been arguing that the King would find a way to resolve the dispute between colonies and Parliament. When it became clear that George III was not inclined to act as a conciliator, attachment to empire was weakened, and a movement towards independence became a reality, culminating in America'sDeclaration of Independence on4 July 1776.
King George III addressed the opening session of Parliament on 5 December 1782 in aSpeech from the Throne. It was his first address since the resignation ofLord North as his wartime prime minister, which was delivered in the last session at Parliament's resolution to end offensive war in North America.[5] In the intervening time the King assured his Lords and Gentlemen that he had lost no time ordering the end of "the further prosecution of offensive war upon the continent of North America".[6]
After considering his option to renounce the British crown and retire to his German estates as Prince of Brunswick in the Holy Roman Empire,[7] George III reassured Parliament that he would follow the wishes of "my Parliament and my people" as he had promised at his coronation Speech from the Throne. George III then reported to the joint session that he had offered theAmerican Congress his declaration of the rebelling North American colonies as "free and independent states" in the final treaty of peace and gave notice to Parliament that had been agreed upon, as well as other preliminary terms.[6]
His closing remark on American independence was, "Religion, language, interest, affections may, and I hope will, yet provea bond of permanent union between the two countries. To this end, neither attention nor disposition shall be wanting on my part."[6]
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| Grenville ministry (1763–1765) |
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| Rockingham ministry (1765–1766) |
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| Chatham andGrafton ministries (1766–1770) |
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| North ministry (1770–1782) |
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