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The Nineteenth Centuryin

Britain and in

the Anglo-Saxon World

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Queen Victoria,

born in Kensington palace in 1819, crowned at Westminster on 28th June 1838, at the age of eighteen.

Peace and war, great wealth and great poverty, gaslight and plush furnishings, decorum and a certain amount of humbug formed much of the backcloth of the long Victorian scene.

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Her consort, Prince Albert, whom she later created Prince Consort, died untimely. After this unhappy event the queen withdrew into seclusion, but she was yet to reign for forty years, and so much was to happen during this time.

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And while science became man’s master, instead of his slave, and great literary figures arose as giants in their own

world, and prime ministers came and went…

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…the British Empire grew and grew, and the little queen reigned alone, the dignified symbol of an expanding economy

and of the continuity and stability of the British way of life.

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The queen succeeded in elevating the monarchy; her enormous ovation on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee in 1897 was proof enough of her success. Queen Victoria reigned longer than any other sovereign in English history, and when she died in 1901 (she was 83) at Osborne, in the Isle of White, a great era, rather than a reign, had come to an end. She was buried at Frogmore, Winsor.

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1832 - first Reform Bill

Grey's Monument, built in Newcastle upon Tyne to commemorate Earl Grey of 1832 Reform Bill and Earl Grey tea fame

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1838 - The Chartists, the largest organized workers’ movement asking for a charter of social reforms. In 1838 they drew up a people’s Charter asking for the extension of the right to vote to the working class.

A caricature

A Chartists’ riot

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The Chartist movement sprang into existence during the 1830s in Britain as one of the country’s many economic and social movements. Many consider this as the “first mass working-class political movement”, arisen as one of the consequences the Industrial Revolution.

A movement of great force, it began to fizzle out by the

late ‘40s and early ‘50s. However, within a few

decades history followed the movement’s example by

inaugurating a majority of its reforms.

A group of men meeting at the British Coffee House

in London on 7 June 1837 gave the movement a face

and clearly defined ideals and goals.

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Grand Meeting in the Potteries : Northern Star Newspaper, 17th November, 1838 : The thousands marched in good order, each district marshalled under their own banners, with flags bearing appropriate mottos, some of which we are enabled to give, which were as follows : . Universal Liberty . Universal Justice . May our actions be guided by peace, truth, justice and love. . Peace on earth ; good will towards men

. Glory to God in the highest . No Statecraft. . No Priestcraft . No Tax-hunting Parsons. Liberty or Death . United we stand ; divided we fall . By Union we conquer . Divided we perish . Reform in Church and State . We die to live . No New Poor Law. . No separation of man from wife, nor mother from children

. No tax upon bread

. Support our labour ; not tax our industry . Plenty of food for eight hours’ labour

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The People’s Charter of 1838, which the principles of these men became known as, listed six grievances of the Chartists:

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

THE BALLOT- to protect the elector in the exercise of his vote.

NO PROPERTY QUALIFICATION for Members of Parliament—thus enabling the constituencies to return to the man of their choice, be he rich or poor.

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.

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

ANNUAL PARLIAMENTS, thus presenting the most effectual check to bribery and intimidation…no purse could buy a constituency (U of Leeds site).

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Through petitions, lectures, public meetings and national conventions the Chartists

attempted to educate the working class. The working class must understand

society, a fundamental requirement for the world the Chartists wanted to create. The

process seemed easy: they would achieve their goals through the “moral tempest” of a

“hostile public opinion” (Jones, 58). Therefore, the people would achieve

revolutionary goals through constitutional means because no government could stand

up against it. At least these were the assumptions. The localities were the force

behind the movement allowing the organization to claim five million

supporters in 1848.

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The movement lost its unity.

Government suppression forced numbers of chartists into jail and limited general civil rights. In 1842, the economy began to recover, harming the Chartists economic-oriented support base.

Perhaps the most dividing factor of the movement was its stance on violence.

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The division over the use of violence often drove supporters away towards other movements. Some argued that without violence the movement would culminate too slowly. “Gradualism” pleased others.

Nevertheless, violence became a primary force against unity, which crumbled after the massive march and petition of 1848.

However, within a few decades, five of the “six-point umbrella” became law in Britain.

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1851 - The Great International Exhibition of London

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The Great Exhibition of 1851 in London was conceived to symbolize the industrial, military and economic superiority of Great Britain.  Just representing the feats of Britain itself would have excluded many of the technological achievements pioneered by the British in its many colonies and protectorates, so it was decided to make the

exhibit truly international with invitations being extended to almost all of the colonized world.

The British also felt that it was important to show their achievements right alongside those of "less civilized" countries. The prevailing attitude in England at the time was ripe for the somewhat arrogant

parading of accomplishments.

Many felt secure, economically and politically, and Queen Victoria was eager to reinforce the feeling of contentment with her reign. It was during

the mid-1850s that the word "Victorian" began to be employed to express a new self-consciousness, both in relation to the nation and to

the period through which it was passing.

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The exhibition was also a  triumph for Victoria's German husband, Albert, whom she had married in 1840. Despite outbursts of opposition to Albert by the press the family life of the Victorian court began to be considered increasingly as a model for the whole country. Albert publicly advocated the advancement of industry and science. Conceived by prince Albert, the Great Exhibition was held in Hyde Park in London in the specially constructed Crystal Palace. The Crystal Palace was originally designed by Sir Joseph Paxton in only 10 days and was a huge iron structure with over a million feet of glass.

The building used to showcase these achievements was to be grandiose and innovative.  Over 13,000 exhibits were displayed and viewed by over 6,200,000 visitors to the exhibition.

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The millions of visitors that journeyed to the Great Exhibition of 1851 marvelled at the industrial revolution that was propelling Britain into the greatest power of the

time. Among the 13,000 exhibits from all around the world were the Jacquard loom, an envelope machine, tools, kitchen appliances, steel-making displays and a

reaping machine from the United States. The objects on display came from all parts of the world, including India and the countries with recent white settlements, such

as Australia and New Zealand, that constituted the new empire.

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Many of the visitors who flocked to London came from European cities. The profits from the event allowed for the foundation of public works such as the Albert Hall, the Science Museum, the National History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

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The official opening of the Great Exhibition by Queen Victoria and Prince Consort Albert

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1845/47 – Ireland: the potato blightPotato blight, caused by the fungus

Phytophthora infestans, was responsible for the great Irish Potato Famine of the 1840's, leaving over 1

million people dead from famine-related diseases and resulting in the exodus of

more than 1.5 million people from Ireland.

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IrelandA movement for Irish independence began, led by Charles S. Parnell (1846-91), who asked for Home Rule (self-government) for Ireland. He convinced Prime Minister Gladstone to present the irish Home Rule Bill in the Houses of Parliament (1886), but it was rejected twice.

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1854-56 – the Crimean War, due to a dispute between Turkey and Russia over their border. Britain and France sided with Turkey, and Russia was finally defeated.

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Florence Nightingale, an Englishwoman, went to Crimea to organize hospitals and to relieve the soldiers’ sufferings. She became one of the most admired figures in Britain

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1859 – 1869 – Excavation of the Suez Canal, the crucial route between the mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean. The British obtained most of its shares

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The Suez Canal

today

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The Suez Canal seen from the space

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1838 first Reform Bill

1867 second Reform Bill

1884 third Reform Bill

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1838 – first Reform Bill

Between 1770 and 1830, the Tories were the dominant force in the House of Commons. They were strongly opposed to increasing the number of people

who could vote. In November, 1830, Earl Grey, a Whig, became Prime Minister and planned to give Britain's fast growing industrial towns such as Manchester, Birmingham, Bradford and Leeds, representation in the House

of Commons.

In September 1831, the House of Commons passed the Reform Bill, but the Tories still dominated the House of Lords, and the bill was defeated. When people heard the news, Reform Riots took place in several British towns.

On 7th May 1832, Grey asked the king, William IV, to create a large number of Whig peers in order to get the Reform Bill passed in the House of Lords. William was now having doubts about the wisdom of parliamentary reform and refused. Lord Grey's government resigned, but his successors were failed to recruit other significant figures into their cabinets. The king was

forced to ask Grey to return to office and agree on creating a large number of new Whig peers.

When the Lords heard the news, they agreed to pass the Reform Act.

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Many people were disappointed with the 1832 Reform Bill. Voting in the boroughs was restricted to men who occupied homes with an annual value of £10. There were also property qualifications for

people living in rural areas. As a result, only one in seven adult males had the vote. Nor were the constituencies of equal size.

Whereas 35 constituencies had less than 300 electors, Liverpool had a constituency of over 11,000.

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REFORM BILL 1867In March 1860 Lord John Russell attempted to introduce a new Parliamentary Reform Act that would reduce the qualification for the franchise and effect a redistribution of seats. But it failed.

in June 1866. William Gladstone, the new leader of the Liberal Party, made it clear that like Earl Russell, he was also in favour of increasing the number of people who could vote.

In 1867 Disraeli proposed a new Reform Act, supported by Gladstone and his followers and the measure was passed.

The 1867 Reform Act gave the vote to every male adult householder living in a borough constituency. Male lodgers paying £10 for unfurnished rooms were also granted the vote. This gave the vote to about 1,500,000 men.

The Reform Act also dealt with constituencies and boroughs with less than 10,000 inhabitants lost one of their MPs. The forty-five seats left available were distributed by: (i) giving fifteen to towns which had never had an MP; (ii) giving one extra seat to some larger towns - Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds; (iii) creating a seat for the University of London; (iv) giving twenty-five seats to counties whose population had increased since 1832.

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Lord John Russel

William IV

Lord William Gladstone

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After the discovery of gold in California in 1848, mining developed rapidly in the American West. As gold, silver,

copper, and lead mines were established, towns sprung up around them, providing a place for the miners to sleep, eat,

and buy supplies. Many of these towns were later abandoned when the mines around them closed.

The Gold Rush

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1899-1902 The Boer War.

In the colony of the cape of Good Hope, formerly Dutch, the relations between the Dutch colonists (called Boers) and the British were never good. The Boer War was won by Britain, which gained control over the provinces of orange and Transvaal, rich in gold and diamonds

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The United States – the Gold Rush People from all over the continent and also from Europe

rushed to california after gold was discovered there in 1848.

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The United States – the Gold Rush USA map of the route followed in 'After the Gold Rush'Showing the route, the topography and how the historic

trails exploited natural thoroughfares.

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miners’ work, miners’ life

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43miner panning for gold

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The United States – The Civil Warthe conflict arose over the question of slavery, legally practised in the South and opposed in the North as contrary to the principles on which the United

Stateds had been founded. The conflict was also one between different economies: the industrial North and the agricultural South.

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Things precipitated in 1860 after the election of Abraham Lincoln as President (1860-65), a declared enemy of slavery. In February 1861 the delegates of seven southern states broke away from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America, with Jefferson Davies as President. Three more states joined the Confederation and in April 1861 the Civil War began.

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States of the Confederacy

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Confederate prisoners captured in the Shenandoah

Valley being guarded in a Union camp – May 1862

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Reading the Death Warrant to Captain Wirz on the scaffold – Washington, DC, November 10th, 1865

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Adjusting the rope for the execution of Captain Wirz

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Doctors Examining a Recently Released

Federal Prisoner

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It was the greatest war in American history.

3 million fought - 600,000 died.It was the only war fought on American soil by Americans, and for that reason we have

always been fascinated with The Civil War.

Hundreds of books, movies and documentaries have (and are) being created about this war.

With the advent of the internet, we now have yet another tool to study every single event in this

great period of American history.

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Confederate Flags

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Kentucky Colors: Union and Confederate Flags of the Civil War

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Kentucky Colors: Union and Confederate Flags of the Civil War During the Civil War, United States Army regulations required each

regiment to carry two flags, also called colors. One was the National Color, patterned with the familiar Stars and Stripes. The other was the Regimental Color, officially required to display an American eagle and a scroll bearing the unit's name.

In reality, these banners varied widely in size, color, and design. Confederate flags were even less standardized. Many of these flags are now torn and in tatters, grim reminders of Kentucky's role in our

nation's most tragic event.These unique and precious flags are from the collection of the

Kentucky Historical Society's Military History Museum. The exhibit features numerous large color images of surviving Kentucky flags and

brief histories of the regiments that bore them.

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Abolition of Slavery

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Slavery was officially abolished in 1865 by the thirteen amendment to the Constitution

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Scene in the house of the passage of the proposition to amend the constitution, January 31°, 1865

Civil War Harper's Weekly, February 1865

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The "Copperheads:" secret supporters of slavery.

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A steam engine

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The expansion of the railway system

The British railway system is the oldest in the world. On 15 September 1830, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened from Liverpool Road, Manchester to Edge Hill (later Crown Street), Liverpool.

For the first time you could buy a ticket, expect a purpose-built

passenger train to turn up at a given time and take you to your destination

on track of 4 ft 8.5 ins (1435 mm) gauge designed for steam

locomotives to haul passengers and operated as one system. This was

the start of railways as we know them today.

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A railway station

A wooden bridge

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The workhouse was 19th century England’s attempt to solve the problem of poverty.England at this time was a thriving industrial centre, but there was still a huge growth in the population that meant thousands of people lived in poverty.

Hunger, disease and squalor were a part of everyday life for so many. The government

decided to try to stop this and make the country a better place for the poor to live in.

Workhouses were originally meant to be places where the poor could work in return for

food and board but workhouses were institutions of terror, in which inmates were

harshly treated, put to work and made to suffer for being a burden. They served as a deterrent

to being poor.