introduction to Chartism
The Chartist Movement was England's first mass movement driven by the working class, beginning in the late 1800s . The Chartists intended to build an independent political party that was committed to the welfare of the working class. The influential Chartist leader, William Lovett, stated that the aim of the Chartists was "to seek by every legal means to place all classes of society in possession of the equal political and social rights."
Specifically, the Chartists' six demands were: -All men should have the vote -Voting should take place by secret ballot -Parliamentary elections should be held annually rather than every five years -Constituencies should be of equal size -Members of Parliament should be paid -The property qualification for becoming a member of Parliament should be abolished The Chartists initially took a peaceful and non-violent approach to their protesting, using moral force rather than physical force. They presented several petitions to Parliament, all of which were rejected. They published their very own newspaper called the Northern Star, which was used to spread Chartist ideas for many years. Eventually, they began to loose support because they had become involved in dangerous riots and many of their leaders had been imprisoned. Although the Chartists' demands were not met in Britain until years later, their ideas played a major role in the development of democracy on the Australian Goldfields. |
The influence of the chartist movement on the goldfields
During the Victorian Gold Rush, many British Chartists were transported to Australia as convicts because of their beliefs and participation in riots and illegal meetings. Other Chartists came to the goldfields because of the political freedom that they longed for and believed would be available to them. Although on the other side of the world, they maintained their Chartist ideas as well as their strong sense of pride and justice.
It was under the authority of some of these Chartists that the Ballarat Reform League was formed. It was made up of around ten thousand miners and residents who were no longer willing to put up with the unfair treatment on the goldfields. They were determined to establish a better justice and policing system and abandon the hated miners licences.
The Ballarat Reform League was lead by Chartist John Basson Humffray and other elected leaders such as Kenedy and Holyoake who had also been involved in the Chartist Movement in Britain. They were strong, passionate and persistent men who were determined to stand up and fight for their rights. They gained the support of many at their famous meeting on Bakery Hill and their determination pursuaded people to want to take action. Many of their ideas rubbed off on the members of the Reform League and the group took on the objectives of the British Chartist Movement.
In November, 1854, the Ballarat Reform League met with Governor Hotham, demanding him to accept the charter, release three prisoners who had been accused of burning down the Eureka Hotel and to abolish the miners licence. In response to this, licence checks were made far stricter. The miners then chose to resist the orders of officials and burn the licences. These events eventually lead to the Eureka Stockade, a rebellion that would go on to achieve democracy on the goldfields.
By Emily Bennett
It was under the authority of some of these Chartists that the Ballarat Reform League was formed. It was made up of around ten thousand miners and residents who were no longer willing to put up with the unfair treatment on the goldfields. They were determined to establish a better justice and policing system and abandon the hated miners licences.
The Ballarat Reform League was lead by Chartist John Basson Humffray and other elected leaders such as Kenedy and Holyoake who had also been involved in the Chartist Movement in Britain. They were strong, passionate and persistent men who were determined to stand up and fight for their rights. They gained the support of many at their famous meeting on Bakery Hill and their determination pursuaded people to want to take action. Many of their ideas rubbed off on the members of the Reform League and the group took on the objectives of the British Chartist Movement.
In November, 1854, the Ballarat Reform League met with Governor Hotham, demanding him to accept the charter, release three prisoners who had been accused of burning down the Eureka Hotel and to abolish the miners licence. In response to this, licence checks were made far stricter. The miners then chose to resist the orders of officials and burn the licences. These events eventually lead to the Eureka Stockade, a rebellion that would go on to achieve democracy on the goldfields.
By Emily Bennett