Chartists and the Struggle for the Vote

Transcription

1 Chartists and the Struggle for the Vote Some ideas and resources for Key stages 3 or 4 Overview This topic helps pupils to see the long struggle which has gone into achieving the right to vote for all adults in this country and should therefore help them to appreciate the value of the vote which they will have when they are older. The picture sources here in particular are useful for exercises in the interpretation of images, looking at the motivation of people who produce cartoons and drawings and the techniques they have for trying to influence the people who see their work. Questions Look at the cartoon (Source 5). What words would you use to describe the people on the left of the door and the people on the right? Who do you think each group could be? What are the people on the left hoping for? What are the people on the right afraid of? What is the cartoonist s view of the situation with which side does the cartoonist sympathise? (Some knowledge of the 1832 Reform Act would be needed to appreciate the cartoon fully.) Look at the drawing of the procession which is carrying the petition (Source 7). Does the artist want us to think of the marchers as troublemakers or as peaceful, respectable people? Explain your answer. Look at the table from the Chartist Circular (Source 4). The final column shows the number of people who could vote in each county and the second column from the right shows how many Members of Parliament (MPs) there were for that county. Find a county which seemed to have fewer voters/mps than it should have for the number of people in that county. Then find a county which has more voters/mps than it should have compared to its population. What can this table tell us about the voting system at the time? The Chartists fought for Universal Suffrage, but only meant male suffrage, rather than universally everyone. How do the sources below show this? Other Activities and Cross-Curricular Links Pupils could produce images which could be held up during the speeches (Sources 3 & 8) to reinforce the messages in the speeches. For example, there could be pictures of starving children alongside well fed dogs and horses. Working Class Movement Library.

2 Modify the drawing of the procession (Source 7) to change the view of the people who are marching. Pupils could, for example, add weapons to the hands of the marchers, make the words on the banners more provocative or make their clothing look less respectable. This could be done by adding things to a copy of the picture or by doing their own separate (and simpler) version. While looking at the table from the Chartist Circular (Source 4), ask pupils what they could find out from it. Pupils could use mathematics to help interpret the information into statistics and draw conclusions, to give a clearer picture of voting rights in 1841: -Given the total population, what percentage of people could vote for the laws by which everyone was governed by? -Look at a county. What was the percentage of people allowed to vote in this area? -What percentage of the population in this area was male / female? -If all men were given the vote, what percentage of the population would be voting? -If all men were given the vote, what would be the percentage increase on the existing number eligible to vote? -Choose 3 counties. What was the average number of people living in each house across these counties? Sources 3, 6 and 8 could be seen as Persuasive texts. How do the speakers / writers try to persuade and influence their audience? What choices of words, phrases and language help them deliver their message? Working Class Movement Library.

3 Source 1 Extracts from The Struggle for Democracy, held at the library, published by Cadbury Brothers Ltd, 1944.

4 Source 2 Extracts from The Struggle for Democracy, held at the library, published by Cadbury Brothers Ltd, 1944.

5 Source 3 Extracts from a speech as quoted in the Northern Star, February 9 th My friends, we demand Universal Suffrage because it is our right, because we believe it will bring freedom to our country, and happiness to our homesteads; we believe it will give us bread, and beef and beer. We are for Peace, Law and Order, but we must have justice we must have our rights speedily; peaceably if we can forcibly if we must. The want of Universal Suffrage has enabled our oppressors so long to ride rough-shod over us the want has allowed the horrors of the factory system so long to continue that bloody system, deforming the bodies and debaunching the minds of our children. Until I have the right to vote, I consider myself a slave. I have not the power to vote for the men who make laws, who press me into the military and marines, and who make the laws by which food is taxed. And so long as they possess the power to make these laws without my consent, I shall consider myself a political slave. I want the poor man to be paid for his labour, to enable him to sit by the fireside comfortably, I do not want to see the children half famished, but to see them fed as well as the dogs and horses of the Aristocracy. I mean to tell the government and the Aristocracy that they should not amass fortunes out of the sweat and blood of the poor- that the poor should no longer be starved to supply their luxuries. Extracts from the Northern Star, 9 th February, 1839.

6 Source 4 *County Members shows the number of people to be elected to represent the county in parliament. * Register d County Electors shows the number of people allowed to vote for their county representative. Edited extract from The English Chartist Circular, No

7 Source 5

8 Source 6 A PUBLIC MEETING will be held on KERSAL MOOR, on the TWENTY FIFTH of MAY, 1839, for the purpose of taking into consideration the best means of obtaining the PEOPLE S CHARTER. MEN OF SOUTH LANCASHIRE! You are hereby called upon once more to come forth in your myriads, to show that you will no longer tamely submit to the arrogant and withering Rule which has so long disgraced this beautiful Land of Promise, poisoning and impairing the energy of its industrious and overburdened Population; -that you are determined to be free; that you are ready to lay down your Lives to purchase Liberty, as an inheritance to your children. Come then, under the motto of Peace, Law and Order, and demonstrate to the World that British Freedom must be something more than a name that it must be really seen and felt, enjoyed, and appreciated by you who have so long groaned and suffered depriving you of every natural right of Citizenship. Prepare, and make the 25 th of May, In Liberty s era a grand and glorious day. Extract from the Northern Star, 18 th May 1839.

9 Source 7

10 Source 8 Extracts from a speech as quoted in the Northern Star, February 9 th This source is available to listen to. Check Address of the Female Political Union of Newcastle Upon Tyne, to their fellow country women. Fellow Country-women, -We call upon you to join us and help our fathers, husbands, and brothers to free themselves and us from political, physical and mental slavery, and urge the following reasons as an answer to our enemies. Is it not true that the interests of our fathers, husbands and brothers ought to be ours? If they are oppressed and impoverished, do we not share those evils with them? We have seen that because the husband s earnings could not support his family, the wife has been compelled to leave her home neglected and, with her infant children, work at a soul and body degrading toil. We have learnt from bitter experience that slavery is not confined to colour or clime, and that even in England cruel oppression reigns. We are a despised caste; our oppressors are not content with despising our feelings, but demand the control of our thoughts and wants! We are oppressed because we are poor. Our husbands are over worked, our houses half furnished, our families ill-fed, and our children un-educated. The fear of want hangs over our heads; the scorn of the rich is pointed towards us, the brand of slavery is upon on us and we feel the degradation. We have searched and found that the cause of these evils is the governments of the country being in the hands of a few of the upper and middle classes. The working men who form the millions, the strength and wealth of the country are left without the pale of the constitution, their wishes never consulted, and their interests sacrificed. For these evils there is no remedy but allowing every citizen of the United Kingdom the right to vote for the members of parliament, who make the laws that he is governed by and grant the taxes he has to pay. -In other words, to pass the people s charter into a law, and emancipate the white slaves of England. This is what the working men of Britain are struggling for, and we have banded ourselves together in union to assist them; we call on all our fellow countrywomen to join us. Extracts from the Northern Star, 9 th February, 1839.