The
Proclamation of Rebellion, officially titled
A Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition, was the response of
George III of Great Britain to the news of the
Battle of Bunker Hill at the outset of the
American Revolutionary War. Issued August 23, 1775, it declared elements of the
American colonies in a state of "open and avowed
rebellion." It ordered officials of the
British Empire "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.