Protest in the 19th century Flashcards
When were the corn laws passed?
1815
When was the Anti-Corn Laws league formed?
1838
When were the corn laws removed?
1846
Why were the corn laws introduced?
- keep wheat prices high- kept farmers and landowners happy
- maufacturers and owners made less
- protect farmers from cheap imports- people had to buy the British goods as they were too expensive to sell abroad
Who were the leaders of the anti-corn laws league?
What was the name of the PM who supported them?
Richard Cobden
John Bright
b) Robert Peel
How did Cobden and Bright spread awareness of the anti-corn laws league?
When did support increase?
Toured giving speeches
Support increased in 1841/1843 because Cobden and Bright were elected as MPs
What happened in the 1840s which helped the anti-corn laws league?
Ireland Potato faminie- Corn Laws meant there was no wheaat spare to send to Ireland so the laws needed to be repealed
There were also crop failures in England and Scotland - about to reach London
Bad harvest, lack of work and high bread price was about to cause more famine- people were desperate and couldn’t wait any longer
Why did the Peel (PM) stuggle to get the Corn Laws repealed at first?
Many in parliament were landowners and were benefitting from the high prices
What happened when a bill to repeal the corn laws was introduced in 1838 and in 1839?
1838- bill immediately rejected
1839- it was defeated by it gained 195 votes in favour which was a significant improvement
Short term impacts of Anti-Corn Laws League (5)
- Barley and oats price increased- poor could afford them
- meat prices increased so famers were fine
- corn prices didn’t decrease much
- Peel had to resign
- Peel was a Tory- Tory party was divided
Long term impacts of Anti-Corn Laws League (4)
- Challenged MPs and landowners- inspiration
- led to more protection for the working class in later years
- increase in population- return of normal prices
- Showed protests could be effective
- One of the first times government acted in intrests of the poor over the landed gentry
Causes of the Anti-slavery movement (6)
- comparison to workers in factories ‘white slaves’
- slavery was not Christian
- Anti-slavery society set up by Quakers
- Ship Zong- 130 sick slaves were thrown overboad to claim insurance
- Equiano - autobiography made people aware of the horrors of slavery (propaganda)
- Thomas Clarkson produced pamphlets with drawings of slaves conditions- ship with people packed on it
When was the anti-slavery society set up by the Quakers?
1787
When was the Slave Trade Act introduced?
1807
When was the Slavery Abolition Act?
1833
What was the impact of the Ship Zong case?
1783 Quakers presented a petition with 300 names on it to Parliament in response
What was William Wilberforce’s impact on the anti-slavery movement? (4)
One of the leaders
Motivated by Christianity- vocation by God to end slavery
Spoke in parliament and pushed bills to abolish slavery
1797 presented a petition to abolish slavery
What was Thomas Clarkson’s impact on the anti-slavery movement
Created pamphlets and drawings of terrible conditions- symapthy
What was Granville Sharp’s impact on the anti-
slavery movement?
One of the leaders
Supported cases of black slaves in Britian who
wanted to be free e.g case of Ship Zong
Made inquiries of plantations and trade
Short term consequences of the Anti-slave movement (5)
1807- slave trade abolished
1833- slavery abolished throughout British empire
Abolition faced opposition in parliament as mamy MPs made money from slavery
73 anti-slavery organisations were run by women
L’Ouverture abolished slavery on an island, declared it independent; called Haiti
Short term consequences of the Anti-slave movement (3)
Showed protests could be effective
One of the first times government acted in intrests of the poor over the landed gentry
Slavery still illegal today
Why was Britain involved with the slave trade?
- made money by selling poeple to work
- money was used for construction/development
- slaves bought to work in Britain
- British had set up cotton plantations and workers were needed
Why was Britain very economically powerful in the 1800s?
Industrial Revolution
Growth in textile industry
What did Robert Owen did for factory and social reform?
Introduced the 8 hour day and opened a school for his child workers
Organised the GNCTU
What did George Cadbury did for factory and social reform?
Created a model town called Bourneville. He had pensions, workers’ committees and a workers’ welfare scheme
What did Shaftesbury did for factory and social reform?
Campaigned in Parliament which passed a Factory Act (1833) and the Mines Act (1842)
What year was the Factory Act passed?
1833
What did the Factory Act do?
Limited the hours children could work
What year was the Mines Act passed?
1842
What did the Mines Act do?
Women and children under age of 10 not allowed to work underground
Opposition to factory reform
- Limited income of factories
- againts laissez-faire
- working conditions was between workers and the employer
- rich didn’t want to pay for the poor
- Poor Laws Amendment Act (1834) led to people being put in the workhouse
How did work change because of the Industrial Revolution? (4)
- Before, work was based on crafts which took years to learn- after machines took over and work became less skilled
- Workers became more vulnrable to economic depressions
- French Revolution- fear in England that workers would rise againts the rich
- Divided employers and workers
What issues did factories and mines have?
Working conditions in factories and mines were terrible
Low wages long hours
Diseases
Children killed by carts running over them in the mines
Children sat in the dark up to 12 hours in the factories
Causes of Factory Reform
- Lord Shaftsbury keen supporter
- MP Michael Sadler wrote a report showed that children were being mistreated/caught under machines
Who were the Tolpuddle Matyrs?
In 1834, farm workers in Tolpuddle formed a union when their employeer tried to cut their wages
How did the government react to the Tolpuddle Martyrs?
- Leaders were arrested for signing a secret oath of loyalty (illegal)
- Government worried about trade unions- sent leaders to Australia for 7 years of labour
What was the pubblic’s reaction to the government reaction to the Tolpuddle Martyrs?
Punishment was out of proportion
200K people went to protest in London- government reversed the decision
How did the Tolpuddle Martyrs impact the union movement?
They helped the movement as both campaigns were about the treatment and representation of working men
What’s ‘new unionism’
new model union represented skilled workers so new unions were formed
Why/When did the Matchgirls strike occur?
1886
Byrant and May match factory worplace for 2000 women and children. Matchworkers worked in appaling conditions with little pay- diseases. White prosphorus in matches- v toxic. 1882 workers money was taken from wages to fund a new statue of the PM
What happened during the Matchgirls Strike in 1886?
Besant and employers approached employers about conditions. Led to women being forced to sign ‘good conditions’ petition- one person refused and was sacked
Led to 3 week strike
What were the impacts of the Matchgirl Strike in 1886?
10 years later, Byrant and May agreed to stop selling white phrosphorus when they realeased people were willing to pay for more expensive products to show support
White Phosphorus was eventually banned
Why/When did the Dockers’ strike occur?
1889
Inpiration from Matchgirls union
Salvation Army inpiration to fight for workers’ rights
Australian Dockers’ donated £30K to support action- forced owners to rise pay and guarantee 4-hour-day to dockowners and workerd
What happened in the Dockers’ strike occur?
Dockers encouraged to be militant
Carried rotten food to show their poverty
What were the impacts of the Dockers’ strike?
Union membership increased
Unskilled workers had a choice
What were the short term impacts of the workers’ rights movement?
Factory Act- limited hours children could work
Mines Act banned women and children working in mines
Dockers’ Strike
Matchgirls Union
What were the long term impacts of the workers’ rights movement?
Inspiration
Still fighting for workers rights today
Improved working conditions to this day
What were Luddites?
Some protestors for the workers’ rights destroyed and vandalised machines they thought took workers’ jobs
