Chartists and Chartism

Chartists and Chartism

Chartism was the name of a variety of protest movements in England during the 1830s and 40s, which aimed to bring about change in social and economic conditions through political reform. Its name comes from the People’s Charter, a six-point petition presented to the House of Commons with the hope of having it made law. The six point included annual parliaments, universal manhood suffrage, abolition of the property qualification for members of the House of Commons, the secret ballot, equal electoral districts, and salaries for members of Parliament.

This was the first independent working-class movement in the world, that is, not simply sporadic uprisings or agitation, and arose after the Reform Bill of 1832 had failed. Working men had agitated for this bill and its failure left them still without the sought-for right to manhood suffrage. The Factory Act of 1832 had reduced working hours for children, but not for adults. The New Poor Law of 1834 caused resentment among workers by building workers’ housing in factory districts, where living conditions were bad.

By 1837 50,000 were out of work in Manchester alone, owing to overproduction, loss of trade, and the shutting-down of many mills. Throughout the country, from 1839-1851 widespread depression was due to a combination of jobs lost, bad harvests, and high food prices. There were organized groups in London and Birmingham, but a national organization was inspired by Feargus O’Connor, who edited a Chartist paper, The Northern Star, and was a rabble-rousing speaker.

The Chartists’ method was to circulate their petition throughout the country and gather signatures which were to be presented to the House of Commons at a giant convention in...

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...nating the worst working conditions were gradually enacted into law.

Victorian England was to struggle with labor-management problems throughout the century. Gradually the working class would come to recognize its need for centralized organization and would gain support from radical middle-class intellectuals and writers, notably Henry Mayhew, who during the years 1849-51 investigated living and working conditions in London and published a series of violently-debated letters in the Morning Chronicle. It would appear that the efforts of the Chartists, while not immediately successful, served as valuable experience for a future labor movement, as well as awakening the consciences of individuals and groups outside the working class.

Sources:

Sally Mitchell, ed. Victorian Britain “Chartism,” “Riots and Demonstrations,” “Strikes.” New York, Garland, 1988.