Reform Movements Flashcards
Cause 1 of the anti-slavery movement?
Ideas:
- people were more informed of the conditions in which slaves were kept and forced to work
- crammed on over crowded ships
- filthy and would often die of sickness
- exposed to appalling punishments: flogging, mutilation, branding
Cause 2 of the anti-slavery movement
Economy:
- a concern over people working conditions in Britain
- increasing industrialisation meant more people were forced into working in factories
- worked in terrible conditions
- if British people were upset by the bad conditions of what they called ‘white slaves’ they should also be concerned about black slaves in the US
Method 1 of the anti-slavery movement?
Communication:
- various campaigners set up the society for the abolition of slave trade
- organised speeches, petitions, letters, newspaper articles, posters, pamphlets
- Thomas Clarkson toured the country making speeches and showing artefacts
- boycotted slave-produced goods like sugar, around 300,000 Britons took part
Method 2 of the anti-slavery movement?
Violence:
- many slaves led violent revolts against their owners
- Toussant L’Ouverture killed his plantation owners and burnt their sugar fields on the island of at Dominique (1804) the island was granted its freedom and took a new name, Haiti
Short term significance of the anti-slavery movement?
Mixed:
- many opposed the abolition of slavery as they insisted that Britain’s wealth depended on it
- many believed blacks were inferior
- buying and selling slaves was banned in 1807
- the Royal Navy established the west Africa squadron to enforce this ban on the high seas
Long term significance of the anti-slavery movement?
Greater:
- eventually in 1833, an act was also passed that banned owning slaves
- the west African squadron continued to seize illegal slave vessels
- 1,500 vessels were captured, freeing 150,000 Africans
- on plantations those under 6 years old were immediately freed however those older had to wait until they had been sufficiently ‘educated’ to cope with competition in the market place for employment
Cause 1 of the anti-corn law league?
Economy:
- concern of over the welfare of the poor
- parliament introduced tariffs on cheap foreign grain
- this meant British farmers could continue selling grain at high prices
- people could no longer buy cheap foreign grain meaning bread prices extremely high
- the poor suffered the most
- factory owners resented this as they had to pay their workers higher wages just so they could afford bread
- this also meant they sold less, especially abroad, as they had to put costs up after paying higher wages
Method 1 of the anti-corn law league?
Communication:
- Richard Cobden and John Bright set up the anti-corn law league in 1838
- predominantly middle class movement
- well organised and well funded
- rejected violence utterly
- meetings, speeches and published pamphlets
- travelled through the country on trains to give speeches
- produced anti-corn law league merchandise
Method 2 of anti-corn law league?
Government:
- tried to influence MP’s to pass legislation
- many supporters bought cheap properties in constituencies so they’d be entitled to vote and elect MP’s
- Cobden and Bright both eventually became MP’s and close friends with prime minister, Robert Peel
Short term significance of the anti-corn law league?
Slow, then rapid success:
- at first, repeated votes in parliament to repeal the corn laws were rejected
- over time massive support was gained
- in 1846, Peel finally agreed to repeal the corn laws (however he did so because of the bad harvests and Irish potato famine)
Long term significance of the anti-corn law league?
Great:
- first time parliament acted explicitly
