Lesson Title: Why did people become Chartists in the 1830s?

Know who Chartists were

Understand why people supported the movement

known as Chartism

Skills: explanation, interpreting information,

empathySAMPLE

Starter

Write a sentence in the back of your book to explain what could be happening in this picture

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Task One

Copy down the spider diagram below into your exercise book

Read the Chartists complaints from the sheet you have been given and add each of the complaints to your spider diagram. Do not write out the whole complain, just sum up each one in your own words

What did the Chartists

complain about?

MPs were unpaid, which meant only rich men could become MPs. Poor workers therefore had no way of being represented in Parliament as they needed to keep their jobs to survive. Chartists wanted MPs to be paid.

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The Six Points of the People’s Charter

1. A VOTE for every man twenty-one years of age, of sound mind, and not undergoing punishment for crime.

2. SECRET BALLOT – to protect the elector in the exercise of his vote.3. NO PROPERTY QUALIFICATION for Members of Parliament – this

enabling the constituencies to return the man of their choice, be he rich or poor.

4. PAYMENT OF MEMBERS, thus enabling an honest tradesman, working man, or other person to serve a constituency, when taken from his business to attend to the interests of the country.

5. EQUAL CONSTITUENCIES, securing the same amount of representation for the same number of electors, instead of allowing small constituencies to swap the vote of large ones.

6. ANNUAL PARLIAMENTS, thus presenting the most effectual check to bribery and intimidation, since though a constituency might be bought once in seven years (even with the ballot), no purse could buy a constituency (under a system of universal suffrage) in each ensuring twelve month; and since members, when elected for a year old, would not be able to defy and betray their constituents as now.

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Task Two

Create a poster which details the specific aims of the Chartists and suggests how these could be achieved

You must also explain why the Chartists were angry

Include drawings and make sure they are coloured in!

You must finish off your poster for your homework

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Plenary

What were the causes of the Chartists discontent (unhappiness)?

In your books, write down three reasons as to why the Chartists were discontentSAMPLE