Code Red for Democracy: If Martial Law Comes, the People Must Rise

Let's insure liberty and justice for all

Photo by Chris Henry on Unsplash

What if President Trump invokes the 1807 Insurrection Act to deploy military force against civilians? What if he declares martial law to crush dissent and override our most basic constitutional freedoms—speech, press, protest, and assembly?

This isn’t political speculation. The legal scaffolding for authoritarian rule is already standing. The question is: will we be prepared when the sirens sound?

We are rapidly approaching the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026—a moment that should celebrate liberty and unity. Instead, we face a grim possibility: the erosion of democracy through executive overreach, suppression of dissent, and the rewriting—or outright disregard—of the U.S. Constitution by the current government and the Project 2025 movement.

This could be our generation’s great test—and our greatest opportunity. The time is now to rise, to organize, and to reimagine democracy before it’s too late.

The Insurrection Act: A Door to Tyranny

The Insurrection Act of 1807 gives the president sweeping power to deploy troops on American soil under vague and elastic terms—"insurrection," "rebellion," or “domestic violence.” While it has been used historically to enforce civil rights and quell true unrest, under a tyrannical interpretation, it could be used as a blunt weapon to dismantle civil society itself.

Coupled with a declaration of martial law, this power could bypass Congress, suspend habeas corpus, militarize local responses to peaceful protest, and criminalize public dissent—all in the name of "order."

This is no fantasy.

During his first term, then President Trump reportedly considered invoking the Insurrection Act during the 2020 uprisings following George Floyd’s murder. More recently, on January 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency at the U.S.–Mexico border and directed the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to deliver, within 90 days, a plan—including recommendations on whether to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act—to achieve “complete operational control” of the southern border.

In the wake of two days of mass protests against ICE raids in Los Angeles County during June 2025, President Trump escalated the crisis by issuing a memorandum on that effectively greenlit the deployment of the National Guard—and even active-duty armed forces—anywhere throughout the U.S. where protests against ICE are happening or expected to happen.

As I see it, this is an unprecedented and dangerous abuse of power. It skirts the legal boundaries of the Insurrection Act, yet its intent is clear: to intimidate and suppress peaceful dissent. This maneuver threatens to turn our own military against the American people. We must recognize it for what it is—a step toward authoritarian control—and respond with moral clarity and constitutional courage.

Legal experts at the Brennan Center and Lawfare have issued detailed warnings. We must listen. If Trump weaponizes this law to silence its critics, we must not hesitate. It is our constitutional and moral duty to act.

Would this be a Constitutional Emergency?

If martial law or similar authoritarian measures are enacted, we must launch a nonviolent, national mobilization for democratic renewal. This is not political warfare. This is a sacred defense of the principles of the Constitution and the people’s sovereign right and responsibility to create a new government if/when a government fails to uphold the central American tenet of liberty and justice for all—a value we cherish and hold sacred.

#unifyUSA was born out of the recognition that American democracy is not only fragile, it is under siege. Our movement is not partisan. It is inter-partisan, rooted in the spirit of 1776 and animated by the principle that the Constitution belongs to the living. We are organizing to meet this moment of peril with purpose, strategy, and courage. We are not helpless. We are not alone. We are rising.

Declaring a National Constitutional Emergency
We call on governors, state legislatures, and local officials to reject unlawful federal mandates. Let former judges, legal scholars, veterans, and faith leaders affirm their allegiance not to any president—rather to uphold the rule of law and immediately convene citizens assemblies to engage the public in refreshing the Constitution to restore trust in our politics.

We must activate State Citizens’ Assemblies.
In states across the country, we can convene emergency citizens assemblies of everyday people to deliberate, affirm democratic values, and chart a new path forward. These bodies can publicly resist authoritarianism, issue declarations of democratic principles, and lay the groundwork for a refreshed Constitution that serves all of us.

We must build a Grand Inter-Partisan Movement
This is the time to unite principled leaders across the political spectrum of all stripes—former governors, military officers, business leaders, civil rights icons, and grassroots organizers—to form a National Citizens’ Council. This council would coordinate a rapid-response action plan to defend our democracy and organize for long-term renewal.

We must control the narrative.
This is not a rebellion. This is a redemption. We must reframe the crisis as the Great American Reckoning—and our movement as the Great American Rewrite. We are not tearing down America. We are fulfilling its highest promise. We are constitutionalists. We are the true patriots. And we stand for love, justice, and freedom—for all.

July 4, 2026: A New Birth of Freedom

Abraham Lincoln’s prophetic words echo across time:

“That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Let us not mark the 250th anniversary of American independence with silence, fear, or despair. Let it be a turning point—a line in the sand. If the federal government betrays its constitutional obligations, we the people must step in. Not with violence, but with a united, disciplined, love-centered and peaceful pathway to create the next chapter of the American story.

Let us birth a refreshed Constitution rooted in equity, sustainability, dignity, and inclusion. Let us lead not with hatred or vengeance, but with moral clarity, spiritual courage, and a fierce commitment to our collective liberation.

History is watching. The future is calling. We must be the answer.

Join the Movement and Take Action
Visit unify-usa.org to learn how you can support emergency State Citizens’ Assemblies and the constitutional renewal process.

Read the Roadmap
Hit Refresh on the U.S. Constitution by Dr. Paul Zeitz — a revolutionary roadmap for reclaiming democracy before it’s too late.

References

• Brennan Center for Justice, The Insurrection Act Explained

• Lawfare Blog, Can Trump Use the Insurrection Act to Deploy Troops to American Streets?

• Lawfare Blog, "Trump’s Jan. 20 Executive Order Is a Warning"

• Congressional Research Service, Martial Law and National Emergency: Legal Background and Considerations

Dr. Paul Zeitz is the Co-Founder of #unifyUSA, an inter-partisan citizens' movement dedicated to using Citizens’ Assemblies to Hit Refresh on the U.S. Constitution: A Revolutionary Roadmap for Fulfilling on the Promise of Democracy and Revolutionary Optimism: 7 Steps for Living as a Love-Centered Activist.