In the United States , martial law has been used in a limited number of circumstances , such as directly after a foreign attack , such as Hawaii after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor or New Orleans during the Battle of New Orleans , after major disasters , such as the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 or the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 , by renegade local leaders seeking to avoid arrest , such as Nauvoo , Illinois during the Illinois Mormon War , or Utah during the Utah War , or in response to chaos associated with protests and mob action , such as the 1934 West Coast waterfront strike , or mob actions against the Freedom Riders
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Martial law