Phase 1:1838-1840 (Development and The First Petition)

Question 1

Who was Thomas Attwood?

Answer 1

In 1837 he revived the BPU, despite being elected as MP for Birmingham in 1832. He was disillusioned with the House of Commons’ commitment to reform.
In August 1938 the BPU endorsed the sic points of the People’s Charter (campaigned for universe suffrage) and launched strategy which was to form a major part of Chartist campaigning.

• Activists elsewhere, e.g. Feargus O’Connor (who campaigned against the Poor Law in the North of England) campaigned for Charter and it was soon adopted by many radicals across the country.

Question 2

The First Petition

Answer 2

Signatures for the petition would be collected at mass meetings held through out the country, where delegates would be appointed to attend a national convention to organise the presentation for the petition to parliament– aimed to collect so many signatures so that parliament could not ignore it.

over 200,000 attended meetings in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester- published by Chartist press particularly the Northern Star which was selling 50,000 copies each week.

Question 3

What happened in February 1839?

Answer 3

-The National Convention met in London in February 1839 and claimed to represent all the people- unlike parliament- and was able to present petition to Parliament that contained the signatures of 1.25 million people.

-size of the petition and level of national coordination was unprecedented- the petition was 3 miles long.
July 1839 parliament rejected the petition by 235 to 46 votes. MP’s simply chose to ignore demands of the Chartists and less than half bothered to attend debate and vote for the matter.

Question 4

The Northern Star

Answer 4

• Crucial in ensuring that Chartism both emerged and sustained itself as a national movement.
• Feargus O’Connor- the newspaper owner- used profits of the Northern Star to fund he Chartist movement, to build defence funds for trials and to support families of imprisoned Chartists. Common for the Northern Star to be read aloud to groups of people who shared subscription costs.

Question 5

The National Convention and the Sacred Month

Answer 5

-became the discussion forum for strategy and how to react to the rejection of the petition, which reveals disagreement and division.
After the petition was rejected the delegates hastily devised the ambitious concept of a general strike which they described as a ‘sacred month’.
-But no local plans were being put in action and there was limited support as many were worried they would lose their jobs or wages for such a short term gesture), so O’Connor backed down.
-The authorities were careful not to provide a justification for a violent reaction by making mass arrests, but used this tactic after the Newport Uprising of 1839 when the movement had weakened.

Question 6

The Newport Rising

Answer 6

• November 1839 10,000, mostly miners and iron workers, marched from south wales to Newport. Attacked Westgate Hotel were some local Chartists leaders were held and shots exchanged with small force of troops.
• 20 protesters killed and authorities saw this as armed uprising intended to provoke rising elsewhere, gave them the excuse- local leaders like John Frost convicted of treason and sentenced to death.

-Lovett arrested after Birmingham Riots and others such as O’Connor imprisoned.– Chartists saw dangers of insurrection and violence as it destroyed myth that soldiers would never fire on them. Working class directed down the constitutional path.