The Repeal of the CDA Flashcards
As time passed, opposition to the CDA….., stimulated partly by the clamour for their…….
- grew
- extension
Describe some of the new criticisms to the CDA as time progressed
-more people contracting VD
- medical evidence that in some areas incidence of VD was rising again
- A study produced by Doctor Charles Routh & Prof. Henry Lee,
- which connected increased incidence to men feeling it was safer to visit prostitutes after compulsory check were introduced
Describe some of the new criticisms to the CDA as time progressed
-legal objections
- More legal & principled objections as time progressed, the law contravened:
- Habeas Corpus
- & basic rights freedom from arbitary arrest; requirements for evidence; right to privacy; & presumption of innocense
Describe some of the new criticisms to the CDA as time progressed
-religion
- some religious group expressed concerns about the inequality between men & women, fearing it legitimised immoral male behaviour
During the 1870s a series of ………. both or and against the Acts were submitted to Parliament
petitions
Describe the efforts in the 1870s to submit petitions opposing the CDAs
- Initial Action came from the National Association in 1869 was to present a petition to the Home Secretary with the signatures of 50 medical professionals
- Despite supporters of the acts outnumbering them with another petition, the balance shifted over the 1870s with over 10,000 petitions containing over 2 million signatures
Describe the efforts in the 1870s to sumbit petitions in favour of the CDAs
- Supporters of the Acts responded to the NA’s 1869 initial petition with a petition signed by over 1000 doctors.
- Over the 1870s, only 45 petitions with fewer than 4000 signatures were submitted in favour
……………. of the Acts have a far greater influence & better connections than their …………
- suporters
- opponents
Why did the supporters of the Acts have a far greater influence & better connections than their opponents
- Key sources of influence such as the Lancet remained in favour and this swayed newspapers, such as the Times,
- who did not take a balanced view for many years.
- This helps explain why the debate continued for more than 15 years.
What was set up by opponents of the acts in 1869
The National Association for Repeal of Contagious Diseases
Who were members of the National Association for Repeal of Contagious Diseases
- Members included businessmen, lawyers, clergy, academics and several MPs
- These included Liberals William Fowler and James Stansfeld
- John Stuart Mill, who also supported female suffrage, was also a vocal supporter
Which demographic was the National Association directed on
It was a middle-class movement - initially women were not even allowed to join
Describe how the focus on the National Association developed
- Initially the focus was against the extension of the Acts in the North of England,
- but later they extended to campaign for the laws to be repealed
When was the formation of the Ladies’ National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Act
- Formed a few weeks after the ‘National Association’
Who instigated the formation of the Ladies’ National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Act
Elizabeth Wolstenholme
What was released by the Ladies’ National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Act on 31st December 1869
- Released their Women’s Manifesto
How did the Ladies’ National Association achieve wide readership of their Women’s manifesto
- It was published by the Daily News, thereby reaching a large number of readers,
- as its circulation of the Daily News was over 150,000
Why was it so risky for the leaders of the LNA, to promote the interests of prostitutes
- It was vital its leadership maintained impeccable morality
- Because for a group of Victorian women to speak ouy publicly in society against government policy was radical,
- but for the subject of protest to be prostitutiion would open female protestors up to charges of impropriety
Explain why Elizabeth Wolstenholme decided not to lead the LNA?
Her radical reputation (e.g a vocal opponent of marriage) made her unsuitable to play a leading role
What were the qualities of the 33 leaders of the LNA which ensured they avoided any scandalous behaviour, to avoid attempts to discredit them
- 12 were single
- 6 widowed
- Over 20 were childless
Summarise the qualities that made Butler a suitable leader in the campaign to repeal the CDAs
- Mother
- Devout Christian
- Married
- Charismatic
- Strong-willed
- Fashionable & beautiful
Explain the qualities that made Butler a suitable leader in the campaign
Mother
- her daughter tragically died when falling down the stairs, which ensured a mternal approach with her leadership
Explain the qualities that made Butler a suitable leader in the campaign
Devout Christian
- Devout Christian, with strong Evangelical convictions, which made her credible & proper in society
Explain the qualities that made Butler a suitable leader in the campaign
Married
Married a church minister, adding to her credibility &
could avoid allegations of prostitution herself
Explain the qualities that made Butler a suitable leader in the campaign
Charismatic, Strong-willed, Fashionable & beautiful
- made her a very likeable candidate, who had undoubtable morality
Explain the factors that motivated Josephine Butler to campaign for women’s rights
-Family
- She was born into a family that supported social reform
Explain the factors that motivated Josephine Butler to campaign for women’s rights
-Religion
- She was devoutly religious & felt it was her vocation to protect women in a worse state than herself, & bringing the salvation
Give evidence suggesting how Butler’s leadership was flawed
-1871
- At the 1871 Royal Comission, Butler’s condemnation of the effects of the Acts in Portsmouth & Devonport
- appeared underwhelming, when she confessed to having
- no first-hand knowldeg of prostitution in these respected areas, with her testimony based on hearsay & allegations of police misconduct
Give evidence suggesting how Butler’s leadership was flawed
-1881
- At a select committee inquiry, she revealed that she had not been to protected district since Canterbury in 1873
James Stansfeld reshaped the movement into…
- a more effective political pressure group
How did James Stansfeld reshape the movement into a more effective political pressure group
- to cultivate popular support he:
- adopted new strategies
- looked to devlop scientific arguments against the Acts based on facts
Ultimately, James Stansfled trasnfomed the movement from………..to……..
a moral venture to a pragmatic one
What did James Stansfeld encourage the formation of
- The National Medical Association in 1875
What did the The National Medical Association do
- enlisted medical professionals to campaign against the acts
How did the contribution of James Stansfeld’s political pressure pay off in 1879
- the Conservative government agreed to establish a committee of inquiry into the acts
- this continued to gather information until 1882
- When the liberals returned to power in 1880, Stansfled was appointed to this enquiry
Explain the positive role of Henry Wilson within the campaign to repeal the CDAs
- he was a very effective organiser
- & cultivated the support for the repal of the CDAs in the liberal party
What did Henry Wilson do when he became an MP & joined the Liberal Party in 1875
- He helped to create a committee of Liberal MPs to push for the repeal of the Acts in parliament
Describe James Stansfeld’s role in politics from 1874
Stansfeld worked in Gladstone’s cabinet until the Liberal election defeat in 1874, when he then took a dominant role in leading the National Movement
Describe James Stansfled’s role in politics before 1874
- Before 1874, Stansfeld was constrained from campaigning due to his responsibilities in Galdstone’s cabinet
- Prior to joining the liberal party Stansfeld had been a leading radical MP, expressing sympathies with Chartism and associating with leading European radicals such as Mazzini and Garibaldi.
Explain the negative role of James Stansfeld & Henry Wilson within the campaign to repeal the CDAs
- Their dominance created tension with many middle class women within the LDA
- Butler & many others felt threatened by their presence in the movement,
- & she resented his belief that the CDAs were not especially a problem for women, but for all society
Name 3 forms of protest & polictal influence the LNA used
- Interferring in elections
- Drawing attention to women mistaken for prostitutes
- Co-operation with prostitutes
Describe how the LNA interfered in elections
- manipulated public sympathy, & organised demonstrations,
- against the election or re-election of specific MP candidates
Give an example of how the LNA interfered in re-election campaigns
- In 1872, the MP Childers sought re-election
- He was the First Lord of the Admiralty, and because the navy avidly supported the CDAs,
- the LNA organised demonstrations against his re-election,
- these were met with local hostility and violence, as he was a popular figure.
- Childers was returned to parliament, but with a greatly reduced majority
Give an example of how the LNA interfered in election campaigns
- 1870 candidacy of Storks for Newark.
- Storks had been the governor of Malta & had vigourously enforced the CDAs there
- Repeal campaigners placed so much pressure that he withdrew his candidacy on the day of the election
Describe the limitations of the LNA’s protests against Stork’s election campaign
- A new Liberal candidate was elected who opposed the Acts.
- This was a huge coup for the LNA and showed the extent of its support.
Give an example of how the LNA interfered in election campaigns
- Storks stood again in 1870 for Colchester.
- When protesters entered their own pro-repeal candidate,
- it split the Liberal vote and handed the Conservatives victory.
How could it be argued the strategy of interferring in elections was effective
- This practice of manipulating public sympathy and influencing the electing of MPs was a powerful way for the LNA to campaign,
- as shown in the case of Childer’s election campaign
Explain the fragility of the LNA’s strategy of interferring in campaigns
- Protesters were almost entirely dependent on Liberal candidates and were unable to exert influence over Conservative MPs.
- This position was made clear when Benjamin Disraeli’s Conservative Party won the 1874 general election.
- The LNA lost the Liberal MPs who were sympathetic to its cause.
While popular protest through the influencing of Liberal MPs could be ……………, it risked….
- sensational
- weakening the Liberal Party and allowing the Conservatives to increase their power
Describe how the LNA drew attention to women mistaken for prostitutes
- The most dramatic & notable case,
- Mrs Percy, committed suicide ater her career was runined after bring incorrectly identfied as a prostitute
- Butler appreciated the publicty value of such a story,
- and this case fuelled public fear that the CDAs risked the dignity of innocent women
How effective was the LNA’s tactic of drawing attention to women mistaken for prostitutes
- other claims of mistaken identity held little weight,
- however it was a significant driver of public fear against the CDAs
What was one noticable failure of the LNA
its innability to mobilise working-class women against the Acts
By 1882, it was apparent that the campaign had failed to…
sway public opinion in the subjected ports and towns
Give an example of effective co-operation with prostitutes in the 1870s by the LNA
- 1870s - Plymouth, campaigners succeeded in persuading prostitutes to resist the legal requirements of the Acts
- through public meetings and pamphleteering
- which agitated prostitutes to such an extent that they refused to co-operate with the police and doctors.
What was it called when campaigners worked with prostitutes in resisting medical examinations
‘Siege of Devonport’
How did the LNA assist women who refused examination in courts
- campaigners provided legal and financial support throughout trials
- Several women were able to argue that they were no longer prostitutes and so should avoid examination.
In what ways was the ‘Seige of Devonport’ limited in its effectiveness
- By 1871, this expensive campaign had run out of steam,
- and prostitutes in the area were compliant with the laws by 1872.
The campaign against the CDAs had …….. impact
immediate
In what ways did the LNAs popular pressure show that the government took their campaign seriously from the start
- The 1871 Royal Commission into the effects of the legislation, was an early sign that parliament took seriously the demands of protesters.
- Occurring just over a year after the LNAs formation, the report emanating from this inquiry made clear that it had been a response to popular pressure.
Did the LNA’s achieve their main goals
The LNA’s campaign was ultimately successful.
In 1883, the Contagious Diseases Acts were suspended, and in 1886, they were repealed.
Summarise the effectiveness of the LNA’s strategies in acheiving success
- Influencing election results and raising fears over wrongful identification were useful tactics,
- very difficult for politicians to deal with,
- but what put the most influence on parliament,
- was its success in convincing large elements of society that the CDAs were immoral.
Is there a direct correlation between the repeal of the CDAs & the LNA
- The direct relationship between the LNA and the repeal of the Acts is hard to specify
- While the campaign encouraged a political climate in which the CDAs appeared as shocking evidence of society’s sexual double standard,
- Butler could not claim complete credit for their repeal
What was Gladstone’s view on a repeal of the CDAs from 1883 to 1886
- While Gladstone supported a repeal, from 1883 to 1886 the Acts remained law,
- with the Liberal Party distracted by the question of Irish Home Rule,
- repealing the Acts was not a priority.
What is the argument of a politician & campaigner catalysing the repeal of the CDAs
- The laws were only eventually repealed when James Stansfeld demanded Gladstone repeal the Acts in exchange for support for irish Home Rule
- Facing a divided government over the Irish question, Gladstone agreed to repeal the Acts
What was the medical professions increasing view of the CDAs repeal
- The medical profession was less enthusiastic about the continuation of the Acts,
- as they did not seem so suffice in preventing the contaction of VD
How did the medical profession contribute to the repeal of the CDAs
understanding of disease
- New understandings of the long-term consequences of gonorrhoea and syphilis, such as infertity persuaded many that regulation was no longer a viable option
How did the medical profession contribute to the repeal of the CDAs
undermining of science
- the belief that science could cure venereal disease was undermined, with many losing confidence in treatment being possible
- Instead of regulation, the medical profession was moving towards prevention, such as chastity and precaution.
