In 1838, William Lovette of London, England wrote was to become known as the “People’s Charter” advocating rights for all British men and fairness in elections and public office. What began as a letter writing campaign became a socialist movement across the nation, culminating in the riots of July 1839.

In 1832, an Electoral Reform Act was passed in England that left a number of antiquated political and government systems in place and made it almost impossible for a regular Joe to hold elected office in England. The Chartist reforms included the ability for those without land to hold office, the institution of general nationwide elections, a salary for politicians, equally divided electoral districts as well as suffrage for all men, everywhere.

The movement attracted upper class social reformers and blue collar workers alike. It was a rebellion against the status quo and the pervading elitism in England’s highest offices. Charterism was a rallying cry for change and a step towards a modern democratic state. The first official convention in February of 1839 showed that there were two main camps of thought: peaceable change and violent change.

“Peaceably if we may, forcibly if we must.”

From the first meeting, the Chartists tested the boundaries of the law having 53 men gather in one place when the rule was no more than 50. What may seem a small thing these days was an offense against order in conservative England of 1839. Add to that the opposition to the current government and the printing of unofficial untaxed newspapers and revolution stirred heavy in the English air. The many faces of the movement left London to spread their message in the industrial north, gathering a veritable army of workers.

In fact, many people who were desperate for social change saw the Charter movement as a vehicle for a radical transformation in the way England was governed. There was talk that the ironworkers were making weapons that an army should be gathered and tyrannical politicians should be killed. The call for a general strike found more favor but not enough for a clear vote. The movement sent requests, demands and proposals to parliament but their pleas fell mostly on deaf ears and people began to vent their frustrations.

It was the 4^th of July when the report of several Chartist meetings in Birmingham reached the metropolitan police. At the time, the industrial northern city of Birmingham had no police force of their own and worry had spread that the nightly meetings at an area of town known as the Bull Ring were a plot to revolt against the government. The first “riot” resulted in a clash between a few chartists and the police and the injury and arrest of a few individuals. At the end of July chartists revolted en masse and thousands marched to the Bull Ring, burned down buildings and clashed violently with police.

The result of the summer clashes was the arrest and imprisonment of several of the movement’s leaders as well as the end of the violent side of English social reform.

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In the end, all of the demands of the Charter movement came to pass, except annual general elections. Universal male suffrage didn’t come about in England until the end of World War I. The Charter movement is a part of England’s rich past often overlooked. Its social significance lies in a legacy of working men’s clubs, civic associations, unions, worker’s rights and drastic change to outdated forms of government. The Chartists demonstrated just want community activism and the desire for democracy can achieve.

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