Chapter 15: The Anti-Poor Law League Flashcards
What was the backlash of the ‘Poor Law Amendment Act’ 1834?
Backlash of protest against the proposal to end outdoor relief and replace this with a uniform system of indoor relief, accessible through the workhouses.
How did the workhouses provoke an outcry from many sections of society and prompt an Anti-Poor Law movement?
The tough conditions proposed for workhouse inmates such as the splitting up of families and hard labour outraged many. The principe of treating the ‘undeserving’ poor in this way was seen as unjust and immoral and the operation of the new law was regarded as oppressive and unequal, it face the poor little chance to better their condition.
Who were the ‘Undeserving Poor’
Caused their poverty through laziness, wickedness or carelessness. Shows Nineteenth century attitudes to the poor.
What were the impacts of the protests to the Passing of the Poor Law?
Protests and rioting had little serious impact, they were mostly spontaneous and lacked direction and leadership.
Why were some Poor Law critics silenced?
There was a noticeable drop in the rates bill, outdoor relief was still available, particularly in the Industrial North, in the years after the Poor Law harvests were good and there was a raised level of employment.
What happened in 1837/
A recession breathed new life into the Anti-Poor Law campaigners. South Lancashire Anti-Poor Law Association was well organised, worked with radical reformer John Fieldson to support his motion for immediate repeal of the act. Public meetings called, in which claims were made about abuses of the system.
Who were the competitors of the Anti-Poor Law League?
Mainly Chartists, who had a stronger claim on a broader spectrum of the population. The Anti-Poor Law movement failed to monopolise public attentin and support.
Why was the act hard to implement?
The solid opposition to the Act in the Northern towns and the impossibility of imposing a workhouse system in an area of dense population during recession led to a more lexible application of the act.
What did Peel do in 1842?
Peel extended the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, with the unpopular ‘less eligibility’ clause still part of the strategy.
