Chicago came under martial law after the Great Fire. Did it help?
18 March 2026

Chicago came under martial law after the Great Fire. Did it help?

Curious City

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The mayor of Chicago declared martial law after the Great Fire in 1871. The military occupation ended days later, after the death of a civilian. We look back at that history and get the help of legal experts to answer these questions: Was Operation Midway Blitz — the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement campaign in Chicago — an example of martial law? What is martial law, anyway?