10. Anti- Slavery And Anti- Corn Law League Flashcards
Why did the Quakers present a petition against slavery in July 1783?
It had 300 names and they presented it to parliament
It was in response to a captain of a slave ship, throwing 130 sick slaves over board in order to claim insurance
He wasn’t charged with murder and slaves were judged as property not people
What did a group of people do in 1787?
A group of 12 men including Thomas Clarkson and Granville Sharp set up the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade,
They persuaded William Wilberforce to introduce a motion into the House of Commons condemning the slavery trade
Many petitions were sent to parliament
What did Parliament set up in 1788?
An inquiry held before the committee on trade and plantations
This produced a massive report and lots of publicity for the abolition movement
How was Thomas Clarkson a famous figure?
He was a driving force behind abolition
He travelled 1000s of miles by horseback, collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses and going aboard slave ships
He collected a chest of artefacts and other evidence
He helped form anti-slavery societies wherever he went
What did Abolitionists do to try and spread the message?
They talked to anyone who they thought might help
They published circulars and letters and paid for newspaper articles and advertisements
They paid lecturers who toured the county
Josiah Wedgwood produced medallions, Crocker and other memorabilia
They published books, poems and performed plays
They worked with some of the free blacks living in London including Olaudah Equiano - his autobiography was published in 1789
What did local groups do?
They boycotted shops (refused to buy form) that sold West Indian sugar or bakers that used it in their bread as it was slave grown
How did slavery eventually get abolished?
Resolutions were raised in Parliament in 1792, 1796, 1797, 1804 and 1805
The pro-slavery group in West India put up a lot of opposition but a bill in 1807 was produced to abolish the slavery trade
In 1833, slavery itself was abolished throughout British empire
What were the Corn Laws?
In 1815, parliament passed the Corn Laws which placed tariffs on imported corn
These were designed to keep out cheaper foreign corn and keep the price farmers received for their crops, high.
This benefited landowners and farmers at the expense of factory owners and workers
By 1815, people tried to get it removed and in 1828 a “sliding scale” of duty was introduced, but the price of corn remained high
What did Farm Owners argue?
They complained that, as most workers spent their wages on bread, the Corn Laws effectively meant they had to pay higher wages, increasing the costs and making of their goods too expensive to sell overseas
They argued that countries could sell less grain to Britain, which meant they had less money to buy British manufactured goods
Landowners and Church of England supported the Corn Laws
When was the first Anti-Corn Law association set up and what happened afterwards?
It was set up by manufactures in Nottingham in 1833
In 1838 a motion to repeal the Corn Laws was defeated in parliament
Another bill in 1839 was also defeated, but gained 195 votes in favour - far more than Chartists ever managed
Anti-Corn Law crops formed in Manchester, Leeds, Huddersfield, Carlisle and Leicester. They combined into the Anti-Corn Law league
How was the Anti-Corn Law league supported?
It got financial backing from manufactures
It was supported by the new urban middle classes, who influenced the Whigs, as well as skilled workers
How did they spread their message/petitions?
Petitions were collected and delivered, advertisements and reports featured in newspapers and huge meetings were held.
John bright was a powerful speaker at these meetings
There was no violence
It was fashionable to have merchandise like Anti-Corn Law League jugs, cups and plates
It was well-organised, focused and kept issue in public eye
How did they get notice in Parliament?
They targeted elections
They encouraged supporters to buy properties in seats where they could then cote as 40-shilling freeholders
They won a handful of seats in the 1841 election
In 1845, they overturned a Tory majority by 3,000 votes in south Lancashire
However, how did things not turned out as planned and then get better?
Despite annual votes from 1837 to 1845, the Whigs decided not to repeal the Corn Laws as in 1844, harvest was good so prices fell and support dropped for the League.
In 1845, there was a bad harvest and support increased
In 1846, the Tory Sir Robert Peel brought in the repeal of the Corn Laws as part of the Irish Famine. This split the Tory party and lost his job
How was this a victory?
It was a victory for free trade over protectionism
Many people had become convinced that the best interests of Britain were served by free trade, where there are no restrictions on imports or exports
