By talking about Boston I tried to show how compliant Americans can be when there is a perceived threat.
Understood, but as I said in response to your bringing it up, the situation in Boston can't be compared to a martial law scenario. They're two distinctly different things, and have very different dynamics.
In the Boston scenario, the people and the cops were in accord, as everyone perceived a threat from the bombers and wanted them caught.
In a martial law scenario, it would be federal law enforcement and the military against the people, which would naturally be a completely different juxtaposition of sympathies and enmity.
It would necessarily be 'us against them'. The people wouldn't be so compliant under that circumstance. In fact, they'd be at war with the aggressors.