CDAs + campaign for repeal (1862-86) Flashcards
__% of child admissions at the Royal Free Hospital had syphilis (an STD)
- 20% of child admissions at the Royal Free Hospital had syphilis (an STD)
what did Florence Nightingale do in 1860
- in 1860, Florence Nightingale set up a nursing school
where was most affected by the Contagious Diseases Acts
- regions with Naval bases, predominantly in the South England
What is the evidence that the acts did improve public health
- in unprotected areas, 194/1000 were infected, compared to 37/1000 in protected areas
by ____, venereal diseases (STDs) accounted for ____ sick cases for the army
- by 1864, venereal diseases (STDs) accounted for 1 in 3 sick cases for the army
During the 1870s a series of ___ both for and against the Acts were submitted to Parliament
- During the 1870s a series of petitions both for and against the Acts were submitted to Parliament
outline the case of Mary Percy
- Mary Percy: a singer, falsely accused of being a prostitute. killed herself in 1875 due the damage to her reputation + career
the CDAs make it harder for women to … because …
- the CDAs make it harder for women to leave prostitution because some women’s rescue organisations refused to care for women from govt hospitals as they opposed the Acts
What was set up by opponents of the Acts in 1869
- The Ladies National Association for Repeal of Contagious Diseases Acts
the __’s circulation of the Daily News was over ____
- the LNA’s circulation of the Daily News was over 150,000
___ of the Acts have a far greater influence & better connections than their ___
- supporters of the Acts have a far greater influence & better connections than their opposers
- theyre in positions of power - e.g. in politics
What qualities did the 33 leaders of the LNA have, ensuring they avoided any scandalous behaviour, to avoid attempts to discredit them
- 12 single
- 6 widowed
- 20+ were childless
James Stansfled transformed the movement from __ to __
- James Stansfled transformed the movement from a moral venture to a pragmatic (practical) one
James Stansfeld encouraged the formation of __
- James Stansfeld encourage the formation of The National Medical Association in 1875
____ (18__-_): when LNA campaigners worked with prostitutes in …
- ‘Siege of Devonport’ (1870-2): when LNA campaigners worked with prostitutes in resisting medical examinations
what did Josephine Butler do in terms of travelling
- 1870 - travelled 3700 miles & addressed 99 meetings
what did the LNA organise
- organised 18,000 petitions containing up to 2.5 million signatures
define ‘blue stocking’
- ‘a woman who has dedicated herself too vigorously to her studies’ - didnt want to be called
William Action’s quote about female sexual desire
- ‘the majority of women are not very much troubled with sexual feeling of any kind’
what years were the 3 Contagious Diseases Acts
- 1864
- 1866
- 1869
The ___ was a popular/ influential medical journal
- The Lancet was an influential medical journal
in ____, the CDAs were suspended, and in ____, they were repealed
- in 1883, the CDAs were suspended, and in 1886, they were repealed
the first ___ was introduced in ___
- the first lock hospital was introduced in 1858
The ____ published a protest on the Daily News against the Acts which was signed by ___ women
- The LNA published a protest on the Daily News against the Acts which was signed by 124 women
what was the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857
- states a man could divorce a woman on grounds of adultery - but a woman couldn’t do the same
what were the medical examinations alternatively named
- ‘surgical rape’
- for example, the use of a speculum, performed by male doctors on women, was a particular point of protest by Butler
what year were the CDAs repealed
- 1886
what party was in Govt + why was the act repealed
- Liberals
- Gladstone repealed the Acts due to the demand from Stansfeld in exchange for support for Irish Home Rule
Butler revealed at a committee inquiry in ____ that she had never been to a ____ ____ since ____
- Butler revealed at a committee inquiry in 1881 that she had never been to a protected district since 1873 (8yrs)
____ Royal Commission: Butler confessed to having no first hand knowledge of ______ in these protected areas - her evidence was based on _____ - e.g. her accusations of ____ ______
- 1871 Royal Commission: Butler confessed to having no first hand knowledge of prostitution in these protected areas - her evidence was based on hearsay - e.g. her accusations of police misconduct
how did Stansfeld transform the LNA movement
- made it a more effective political pressure group
- developed scientific arguments
- encouraged the formation of the NMA in 1875
both ______ and _____ had political influence as they were MPs for the Liberal Govt
- both Stansfeld and Wilson had political influence as they were MPs for the Liberal Govt
what is a weakness of Butler’s leadership
- there is a disconnect between leadership and the women affected
- e.g. in an 1881 committee, she revealed how she hadn’t been to a protected area since 1873
what were gender roles like in the 19th century
- in the Victorian period, men + women’s roles were more defined than in any period
- e.g. there were separate spheres; W were physically weaker but morally superior - the domestic sphere was most suited to them
outline prostitution in the mid-19th century in Britain
- prostitution was a great concern - most WC women were at one point or another forced to turn to prostitution
- for most women, P was a means of making money when there wasn’t enough work available or in times of financial hardship
outline the army and prostitution
- military bases + ports were rampant in their use of Prostitutes - was necessary for soldiers + sailors to fulfil their sexual urges
- the British Army didn’t allow soldiers to be married (as they’d be less reluctant to risk their lives in combat) + homosexual acts were illegal
what were the moral and religious reasons for why the CDAs were introduced
- Evangelical Christians condemned the use of prostitutes claiming it desecrated the holy union of marriage
- many men thought sex was inescapable but needed to be contained + regulated
- Govt + military authorities were driven to provide safe sex for men (no concern for women’s welfare)
outline attitudes to prostitutes
- many Victorians - esp MC - saw prostitution as a moral + health problem but also a threat to public order and stability
- P went against 19th century notions of morality - W were supposed to be ‘moral guardians’ so sexual immorality was acceptable for M, because they couldn’t help it, but not W
- many saw P as a necessary evil as men had a natural sex drive that couldn’t always be satisfied within marriage
what were the social reasons for why the CDAs were introduced
- due to the success of the Factory Acts + 1848 Public Health Act in improving quality of life, many argued that CDAs could do the same with venereal diseases
what were the military reasons for why the CDAs were introduced
- reporting of the Crimean War highlighted the high degree of venereal disease among the troops
- levels of VD were even high among the Navy - a fully fit army/ navy was necessary
- 1859: compulsory medical examinations of soldiers were abandoned because of hostility from men to such intimate investigations
outline the 1862 Committee of Inquiry
- the Govt appointed a committee in 1862 to investigate how venereal disease within the army could be prevented
- there were 2 solutions presented by the CoI: the liberal solution and the conservative solution
outline the liberal solution to venereal disease from the 1862 Committee of Inquiry
- was more reformative - put more responsibility on men, it offered:
- improved hospital care for men and women
- penalties for men who hid evidence of being diseased
- better sanitation on barracks and more leisure activities to entertain men + prevent them seeking prostitutes
outline the conservative solution to venereal disease from the 1862 Committee of Inquiry
- was rooted in tradition, it offered;
- greater regulation of prostitutes - e.g. registering them in British colonies
- compulsory medical examinations of prostitutes by British army doctors
outline the first Contagious Diseases Act
- passed in 1864
- applied to specific naval ports + garrison towns - it covered 11 military stations
- it allowed the police to arrest W if they were suspected of being a common prostitute, to register them + ensure they attended a medical examination
outline the 1st CDA 1864
- applied to specific naval ports + garrison towns (town containing large group of soldiers) - covered 11 military stations
- it allowed the police to arrest W if they were suspected of being a common prostitute, to register them + ensure they attended a medical examination
- if a W was infected with VD, they could be detained for 3 months/ until they were cured
- if a W refused, shed be put in prison after a trial (to prove she was virtuous)
outline the 2nd CDA 1866
- the 1866 act extended the 1864 act by covering more military towns + authorising a system of periodic fortnightly inspection or examination of all known prostitutes
- it enabled regular examinations of suspected Ps within 10 miles of the named ports + garrison towns were introduced
outline the 2nd CDA 1869
- the 1869 act extended the 1866 act to cover 18 districts
- the distance around them increased to 15 miles
- now, a women could be detained in hospital for up to 9 months
outline positive impacts of the CDAs on prostitutes + ordinary women
- it improved conditions for Ps in protected areas - e.g. infected W sometimes travelled to protected areas for free treatment
- improved health of Ps + reduced deaths by VDs - also led to reduction in scabies
- reduced hospital admission rates for syphilis within the army
- certificates given to disease free Ps - they could charge more
outline negative impacts of the CDAs on prostitutes + ordinary women
- acts, in some cases, made it harder for W to leave P as women’s rescue organisations refused to care for W from govt hospitals in opposition to the acts
- improvements in health were limited as there were no checks on men in the armed forces - VD was contained not eradicated
- acts put all blame on W for the problem of male promiscuity - acts were increasingly seen as unfair
- W in lock hospitals were held up to 9 months - were degraded + treated poorly
- many W were falsely accused - damaged their reputations - e.g. Mary Percy
- treatment of the diseases was hampered by poor medical knowledge - e.g. mercury was used, gave severe side effects
outline moral + religious reasons for opposition of the CDAs
- a study connected the increase of men visiting prostitutes due to the increased safety of them
- some religious groups (e.g. quakers) expressed concerns for inequality between men + women - fearing it legitimised immoral male behaviour
outline political/ legal reasons for opposition of the CDAs
- there were more legal + principled objections as time passed - the acts breached basic rights like habeus corpus
outline pragmatic reasons for opposition of the CDAs
- medical evidence showed that venereal disease increased again
outline campaign against the acts in 1870s
- initial action of the National Association in 1869 was presenting a petition to the Home Secretary with 50 signatures opposing the acts
- over the 1870s, there were over 10,000 petitions of 2 million signatures submitted in opposition
outline campaigns in favour of the acts in 1870s
- supporters of the Acts responded to the National Association’s 1869 petition with a petition in favour of 1,000 signatures
- throughout the 1870s, only 45 petitions were submitted with fewer than 4,000 signatures in support of the Acts
- supporters of the acts had greater influence + better connections than opponents - e.g. The Lancet was in favour - was a key source of influence + swayed newspapers
outline the National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Act (National Association)
- set up in 1869
- the organisation grew out of various organisation that already existed + brought together various different campaigners with a range of abilities
- members included businessmen, lawyers, clergy, MPs etc - e.g. William Fowler, James Stansfled (Lib MP)
- it was a male MC movement - initially W weren’t allowed to join
- initially was focused on preventing the extension of the Acts - later campaigned for the acts to be repealed
- had modest success in lobbying PLT
outline the Ladies National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts (LNA)
- formed in 1869, a few weeks after the National Association by Elizabeth Wolstenholme
- released their Women’s Manifesto in Dec 1869, was published by the Daily News - reached a large number of people (circulation of over 15,000)
- the participation of W in the debate of venereal disease shocked + impressed the press who praised their courage
- LNA ‘injected energy + vitality into the repeal campaign’
outline the context of Josephine Butler as leader of the LNA
- Wolstenholme chose to have Butler as the leader of the LNA; a leader of impeccable morality was vital when promoting the interests of prostitutes to maintain a positive reputation
- Butler was: a wife, mother, married to an Anglican Church minister, charismatic, strong-willed, devout Christian, fashionable
- her leadership was driven out of maternal love; her daughter had died
- she regularly visited + worked with fallen prostitutes in workhouses
outline Butler as the leader of the LNA
- Butler’s religiosity won her support - e.g. in the Royal Commission set up in 1871, a commissioner described her as holy
- though she was inspirational, she didn’t have great knowledge of the acts - e.g. in the 1871 Royal Commission, B confessed to having no first hand knowledge of prostitution in protected areas - her testimony was based on hearsay (e.g. her allegations of policy misconduct)
- this provided a disconnect between Butler’s leadership + the women most affected by the acts
in a committee inquiry in _, Butler revealed she hadn’t been to a protected district since _
- in a committee inquiry in 1881, Butler revealed she hadn’t been to a protected district since 1873
what was a significant mistake made by Butler at the 1871 Royal Commission
- John Stuart Mill proposed that the existing regulation system be replaced by a system of voluntary examinations in private clinics (a better system)
- Butler blocked this compromise, as it still placed blame/ responsibility on prostitutes + legitimised immoral behaviour
- this system was thus delayed until 1883
- Butler’s unrelenting campaign to completely abolish the Acts delayed improvements
outline the role of James Stansfeld in the LNA
- both James Stansfeld + Henry Wilson were responsible for organising the movement
- from 1874, Stansfeld took a dominant role in leading the national movement to repeal the acts
- he reshaped the movement into a more effective political pressure group
- he adopted new strategies, brought in new supporters, developed scientific arguments against the Acts
- he encouraged the formation of the National Medical Association + had a role in the committee of inquiry
outline the National Medical Association
- formed in 1875 by James Stansfeld
- it enlisted medical professionals to campaign against the acts - e.g. doctors
what significant event happened in 1879
- the pressure of oppositions paid off in 1879, when the Cons Govt agreed to establish a committee of inquiry into the acts - it continued to gather information until 1882
- Stansfeld was appointed to this inquiry in 1880 when the Liberals came to power
why was there tension around James Stansfeld’s role in the LNA
- his role created tension with many middle class women within the LNA who felt that men were too influential in the movement
- women such as Butler, felt threatened by the men + preferred to make alliances with WC men (who were easier to manage) - Butler still relied on S’s organisational skills
- B resented Henry Wilson’s belief that the CDAs were a problem for all of society - not just women
- Wilson + Stansfeld were central to the LNAs success - e.g. Wilson got Liberal support for the repeal + they both had political influence in PLT as they were Lib MPs
what were the 4 forms of protest + political influence of the LNA
- interfering in elections
- petitions
- drawing attention to women mistaken for prostitutes
- cooperation with prostitutes
outline petitions as a form of protest + political influence of the LNA
- attracted hundreds of thousands of signatures
- were an early form of protest
outline interfering in elections as a form of protest + political influence of the LNA
- Henry Storks was the governor of Malta + vigorously enforced the CDAs across the Mediterranean Island
- repeal campaigners targeted Storks + placed so must pressure that he withdrew his candidacy on the day of the election
- a new Liberal candidate was elected who opposed the acts - was a huge triumph - but was short lived as he came to power again after
- this method of manipulating public sympathy + influencing the election of MPs was a powerful way for the LNA to campaign
outline drawing attention to women mistaken for prostitutes as a form of protest + political influence of the LNA
- the most dramatic case of women mistaken for prostitutes was Mary Percy
- she was mistaken for a P in 1875, and ended up drowning herself while the Police were investigating her behaviour
- Butler noted the value of publicity, saying privately how ‘every good cause requires a martyr’
- other accounts of incorrect identification caused equal sensation - e.g. Elizabeth Holt in 1870, who claimed to have been wrongly held in jail, but was later proved to have received treatment 5 times
- nevertheless, these cases still fuelled public fear + opposition that the CDAs will risk the dignity of innocent women
outline cooperating with prostitutes as a form of protest + political influence of the LNA
- a noticeable failure of the LNA was their inability to mobilise WC women against the acts
- Siege of Devonport: in Plymouth + Southampton in 1870, campaigners persuaded Prostitutes to resist the legal requirements of the acts - e.g. refusing to work with doctors + police in medical examinations
- when these women were sent to court, LNA provided legal + financial support throughout trials
- BUT, by 1871, this expensive campaign tactic had run out of steam, and Prostitutes were again compliant with the law by 1872
outline the dependence of the LNA on the Liberals
- repeal protesters were almost entirely dependent on Liberal candidates + were unable to exert influence over Conservative MPs
- this was made clear when Disraeli’s Conservative Party won the 1874 election
- the LNA lost their Lib MPs who were sympathetic to their cause
outline political expediency as a reason for the repeal of the CDAs
- one concerned MP noted that ‘this revolt of women’ was very awkward to manage
- originally, the repeal of the CDAs was not a priority of the Liberal Party - Irish Home Rule was
- the laws were repealed when LNA campaigner + MP James Stansfeld demanded Gladstone repeal the CDAs in exchange for support on the Irish Home Rule
- facing a divided Govt over the Irish question, Gladstone agreed to repeal the Acts in 1886
what showed that the Govt was taking the demands of protesters seriously
- the establishment of the 1871 Royal Commission
outline pragmatic reasons as the reason for the repeal of the CDAs
- was evidence that the medical profession were less enthusiastic about the continuation of the Acts
- new understandings of the long term consequences of Gonorrhoea + syphilis persuaded many that regulation was no longer a viable option - the belief that science could cure Venereal disease was undermined
- there was a loss of confidence that infected patients could be treated - medical professionals shifted to promote chastity + precaution
- prevention rather than cure was promoted - from this, the CDAs weren’t sufficient
outline the work of the LNA as a reason for the repeal of the CDAs
- the efforts of protesters had succeeded in exerting influence on PLT - the LNAs campaign was ultimately successful
- in 1883 the acts were suspended, in 1886 they were repealed
- when the HofC discussed suspending the Acts, Butler + LNA prayed next to PLT throughout the night
- their forms of protest utilised were difficult for politicians to deal with; influencing election results and raising fears over wrongful identification were useful
- but, their success came from convincing large elements of society of the immorality of the CDAs
outline the evidence that the repeal campaign had a positive impact on future campaign for female suffrage
- protests against the CDAs radicalised women + provided basis for future movements
- for the first time, W were publicly speaking out against politics
- the techniques used provided important lessons + a model for future female rights campaigners - e.g. targeting individual parliamentary candidates + the publicity violence attracted
- the LNAs campaign popularised the cause of female rights + changed the place of W in politics
- it was believed that feminine morality had to be introduced into politics to raise moral standards
outline the evidence that the repeal campaign had a negative impact on future campaign for female suffrage
- in associating themselves with prostitutes, members of the LNA were criticised as being immoral
- thus, Butler’s/LNA’s close connection with female campaign movements did provide ammunition for anti-suffragists
outline how feminine morality was introduced into politics to improve the National Govt
- the Social Purity Alliance was founded in 1873 and led by Butler
- it promoted the view that female morality would redeem a political system corrupted by male vice
- in 1885, they successfully campaigned to have the age of consent raised to 16 + police were granted powers to close brothels
- this was after the discovery of a ‘white slave trade’, in which under aged girls were abducted + transported to Belgium to be sold into prostitution - this scandal reconfirmed fears over the threat of male sexuality in society
outline nationwide + grassroots movements for repeal of the CDAs
- 1872-3: regional electoral leagues were stablished to press for repeal during elections - e.g. Northern Counties League under Wilson
- Wilson created awareness for repeal amongst the Liberal Party + influenced support from them
- grassroots movements got the support of WC as well as business men (funding)
- helped to make the movement a mass + national one
outline Parliament’s role in the repeal of the CDAs
- early 1870s: Lib Govt set up inquiry
- 1870s: private members bill introduced in PLT for repeal - failed
- 1879: Conservative Govt appointed another Committee of Inquiry
- 1880: Libs returned to power, inc in Lib PMs - e.g. Stansfeld
- early 1880s: political committee pushed for repeal
