Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
What was Chartism?
In 1832, voting rights were given to the property-owning middle classes in Britain. However, many people wanted further political reform.
Chartism was a working class movement, which emerged in 1836 and was most active between 1838 and 1848. The aim of the
Chartists was to gain political rights and influence for the working classes.
Chartism got its name from the formal petition, or People's Charter, that listed the six main aims of the movement. These were:
1.
a vote for all men (over 21)
2.
the secret ballot
3.
no property qualification to become an MP
4.
payment for MPs
5.
electoral districts of equal size
6.
annual elections for Parliament.
The movement presented three petitions to Parliament - in 1839, 1842 and 1848 - but each of these was rejected. The last great Chartist petition was collected in 1848 and had, it was claimed, six million signatures. The plan was to deliver it to Parliament after a peaceful mass meeting on Kennington Common in London. The government sent 8,000 soldiers, but only
20,000 Chartists turned up on a cold rainy day. The demonstration was considered a failure and the rejection of this last petition marked the end of Chartism.
Some opponents of the movement feared that Chartists were not just interested in changing the way Parliament was elected, but really wanted to turn society upside down by starting a revolution. They also thought that the Chartists (who said they disapproved of violent protest) were stirring up a wave of riots around the country. For example, Preston in Lancashire was the scene of rioting in 1842.
Support for Chartism peaked at times of economic depression and hunger. There was rioting in
Stockport, due to unemployment and near-starvation, and Manchester, where workers protested against wage cuts, wanting "a fair day's pay for a fair day's labour". The "Plug Plots" were a series of strikes in Lancashire, Yorkshire, the Midlands and parts of Scotland that took place in the summer of 1842. Workers removed the plugs from the boilers in order to bring factory machinery to a halt. Wage cuts were the main issue, but support for Chartism was also strong at this time.
Although the Chartist movement ended without achieving its aims, the fear of civil unrest remained. Later in the century, many Chartist ideas were included in the Reform Acts of 1867 and 1884.
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 1

Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
Find out more from these original sources:
Home Office advice before the meeting, 1819
Engraving of events at
St Peter's Fields, 1819
Letter on events at St
Peter's Fields
Letter on the conduct of the magistrates http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 2

Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
Extracts from the handbook of the People's Charter Union, 17 April 1848
(Catalogue ref: HO 45/2410A, part 4, f. 5)
1a 1b
As you study the source, ask yourself:
1.
The People's Charter was made up of six main demands. They are printed in block capitals in the first paragraph of this source. What are the six points?
2.
Which of the six points is not part of Britain's political system today? Can you explain why not?
3.
What arguments were used by those opposed to giving the vote to every man over 21?
4.
How did the Chartists counter those arguments?
5.
By what means did the Chartists intend to bring about change? http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 1

Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 2

Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 3

Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
Newspaper accounts of riots in Preston, August 1842
(Catalogue ref: 2a. ZPER 34/1 f.236, Illustrated London News, 20 August 1842; 2b. HO
45/249A, Preston Pilot, 13 August 1842)
2a 2b 2c
2d
As you study the source, ask yourself:
1.
Look at source 2a. Does this show a record of one moment or is it like a cartoon showing several events in one frame?
2.
According to the newspaper article, what sorts of people were in the crowd?
3.
Why did the soldiers start firing?
4.
How many of the casualties named in the article were not from Preston?
5.
Does this justify claims that the riot was started by strangers?
6.
Do you think this was a Chartist riot? http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 1

Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 2

Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 3

Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 4

Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 5

Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
Extracts from an article in The Preston Chronicle and Lancashire Advertiser, 13 August
1842, about trouble in Manchester and its surroundings
(Catalogue ref: HO 45/249A)
3a
3d
3b 3c
As you study the source, ask yourself:
1.
What is another word for a "turn-out"?
2.
What information suggests that the authorities expected trouble in Manchester and its surroundings?
3.
In section 3b, which workers joined together to demonstrate?
4.
What was the aim of the demonstration?
5.
In section 3c, what other workers were encouraged to join in?
6.
What is meant by the phrase "No one should work until they have their rights"?
7.
How was the mob dispersed?
8.
Do you think that there was a link between the demand for higher wages and the Chartist movement, or were they separate issues?
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 1

Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 2

Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 3

Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 4

Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 5

Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
Illustrations of a meeting of Chartists on Kennington Common, 1848
(Catalogue ref: ZPER 34/12, Illustrated London News, 15 April 1848)
4a 4b
As you study the source, ask yourself:
1.
How does this source suggest that this was a peaceful meeting?
2.
What impression do you get about the size of the crowd?
3.
What type of people attended the meeting?
4.
What are advantages and disadvantages of using this type of visual evidence for historians ?
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 1

Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 2

Learning Curve m l t b o I == m l i f q f ` p == C == m o l q b p q
Chartists
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/politics/
Page 3