CHARTISM

Chartism goal

making parliament adopt a people’s charter in six points, petitions in favour: 1838, 1842 and 1848. Signed by millions of people but rejected every time by MPs.

6 points of the people’s charter

universal suffrage, equal constituencies, wages for MPs (so workers could sit in parliament), a secret ballot, no need to own land to become an MP: political claims, had to do with reform in voting to make parliament and suffrage more representative (male universal suffrage).

2 branches of chartism

Moral force // physical force chartists

Newport Rising

An insurrection of miners taking place in south of Wales in nov 1839, chartists intending to start a revolution. Esp bc charter rejected

Repeal of the Corn Laws

1846 (so price of bread goes down, thus chartism dies down a bit)

Great exhibition

1851 London at the crystal palace: symbol of mid-Victorian prosperity (until 1870s)

First petition

made May 1838 (by ppl including Francis Hayes, William Lovett, Hetherington), 1.2M signatures. Rejected in 1839

Second petition

1842, 3M signatures. Rejected again.

National Charter Association

In 1840: national assembly of the National Charter Association, 400 branches across country and 30 000 members, but not homogeneous.

Plug Riots

Generalized strike mvmt summer 1842, name ‘plug’ bc their form of action = unplug steam engines in factories. This mvmt mixed eco and pol elements, against rejection of the charter and also against the wage cuts in mills

Land Plan

initiated by O’Connor: idea to accumulate funds in a common fund, and with the money the association would buy plots of land so each worker could become owner of a small plot of land. Started during period of chartist demoralisation.

Third Petition

1848, gathered 5M signatures. Brought to House of Commons 3^rd April, MPs decided only 2M signatures were valid (still rejected). Demonstration organised April 10th, repression +++ then mvmt declined.

The Northern Star

Newspaper directed by Feargus O’Connor, essential in the circulation of the first petition. Founded in 1837, 50 000 copies sold every week, several regional editions, became the backbone of the mvmt.