Extra Parliamentary Protest

Question 1

What were the 3 events of parliamentary protest?

Answer 1

-Spa Fields
-Pentridge Rising
-Peterloo Massacre

Question 2

Who founded the London Corresponding Society (LCS)?

Answer 2

Thomas Hardy

Question 3

What were the aims of the LCS?

Answer 3

Democratic Reform, annual elections, universal male suffrage.

Question 4

What were the tactics of the LCS?

Answer 4

-Gave out handbills and pamphlets to the public.
-Had about 3000 members at is peak. In 1793, 6000 members of the public signed a petition saying that they supported the society.

Question 5

What was the impact of the LCS?

Answer 5

Other towns and cities founded similar organisations but this declined from 1797. The method of passing out pamphlets and articles was an important protest tactic and this continued on.

Question 6

When were the Spa Fields meetings?

Answer 6

1816

Question 7

What was the aim of the Spa Fields meetings?

Answer 7

To show support for a petition to the Prince Regent for parliamentary reform. The petition was for universal male suffrage, annual elections and secret ballots.

Question 8

How many people attended the Spa Field meeting?

Answer 8

10,000 people

Question 9

What happened at the second Spa Fields meeting?

Answer 9

-Deteriorated into a march to the Tower of London by some of the more radical members of the meeting.
-The government sent troops to break up the meeting and 4 leaders were tried for treason but were later acquitted.

Question 10

What was the impact of the Spa Fields meetings?

Answer 10

(Turning Point) Convinced the government that revolution was a possibility

Question 11

When was the Pentridge Rising?

Answer 11

1817

Question 12

What was the Pentridge Rising?

Answer 12

March in Pentridge, Derbyshire headed towards Nottingham with the intention of marching to London.

Question 13

How many attended the march?

Answer 13

Around 300 wokring class men with pikes and some guns.

Question 14

What were the aims of the march?

Answer 14

Demand a range of reforms including removing national debt.

Question 15

What was the impact of the march?

Answer 15

-The protesters were neither significantly numerous or organised to pose a real threat.
-The government made an example of them and 45 were tried for treason and 3 of them were hanged.

Question 16

When was the Peterloo Massacre?

Answer 16

1819

Question 17

What was the Peterloo massacre?

Answer 17

After Pentridge, the protest movement declined but re surged in 1819 when a large crowd gathered at St Peter’s Field in Manchester. An entirely peaceful public meeting was organised.

Question 18

How many attended the Peterloo Massacre?

Answer 18

50,000-60,000 and Henry Hunt was a speaker.

Question 19

What was the local reaction to the Peterloo Massacre?

Answer 19

-Local magistrates panicked and the local yeomanry (an amateur military of local mill and shop owners) were sent in. Around 1,500 soldiers went.
-The yeomanry entered the crows to arrest Hunt, but panicked and attacked the peaceful protesters. 18 were killed and an estimated 700 were injured.

Question 20

What was the impact of the Peterloo massacre?

Answer 20

-Nicknamed the ‘Peterloo’ massacre in an unsubtle comparison to the 1815 battle of Waterloo as a means of mocking the government.
-Newspapers, including The Times, protested loudly against the actions of the magistrates evoking sympathy.