![]() The Mormons, fearing an assault, mobilized their militia and imposed martial law. President James Buchanan sent a force west to flex US power. In fact, the entire conflict, known as the Utah War, was more of a misunderstanding than anything. Why Impose It: Strained relations between the federal government and the Utah territory led Utah's governor, Young, to declare martial law in his territory - to protect it from a federal army. Based on history, it's unlikely that martial law will return anytime soon - the last time a US official imposed martial law was 1966. In response to Abraham Lincoln declaring martial law during the Civil War, the Supreme Court warned, “Civil liberty and this kind of martial law cannot endure together." In the wake of a crisis, citizens may wonder what to do if martial law is declared. In one strange case, a territorial governor declared martial law against the federal government in another case, during the civil rights movement, a Southern governor imposed martial law to target so-called "outside agitators" who were actually peaceful activists.Īlthough the president can declare martial law, other branches of government have placed limits on those powers. In several states, governors used martial law to target labor strikes, calling in the military to stop vicious clashes between miners and mine owners. In addition to the federal government, state governors can declare martial law. After the Pearl Harbor airstrike on Hawaii, the federal government imposed martial law on the US territory for three years. But World War II was the last time the federal government declared martial law in US history. The federal government has the power to take over local government and impose military control.
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