London Chartists
Date
1836
History
The London Chartists were a political group made up of mostly working class people who fought for electoral reform. In 1832, the Reform Act had extended suffrage to more people in Britain than before, but the working classes were still unable to vote. Their elected leader - William Cuffay, a tailor and son of a freed slave - believed that working people needed representation within parliament. In 1838, a Charter was drafted and presented to Parliament - it outlined six main goals aimed at extending political rights to working class people. These included universal male suffrage (over aged 21), secret ballots, annual Parliamentary elections (instead of every 5 years), equal sized constituencies, payment for members of parliament and removal of the requirement that members of parliament should have to own property.
