Peterloo Massacre

The Peterloo Massacre was an attack by English armed forces upon a large group of protestors in St. Peter's Fields in Manchester, England, on August 16, 1819. Approximately sixty thousand to one hundred thousand protestors had gathered to express dissatisfaction with widespread unemployment, poverty, and famine in England and to rally for government reforms, particularly universal suffrage. Manchester officials, unnerved by the protest, sent soldiers and cavalry to St. Peter's Fields to disperse the crowd by force. Approximately ten to twenty people died and seven hundred were badly injured during the attack. Others, including leaders of the reformers, were arrested and jailed. News of the calamity spread throughout England, gathering widespread public support for the reformers and condemnation of the government action. The Peterloo Massacre ultimately became crucial in winning voting rights for the English public.

Background

The early 1800s were a time of great change in many parts of Europe. The French Revolution had shown the power of the people in demanding democracy and other political changes from traditional monarchies. These ideals spread across national boundaries during the 1800s. The Napoleonic Wars brought death and destruction to battlefields and suffering to tens of thousands of civilians on the home fronts. During the same time, the industrial era was gaining momentum, changing the nature of the economy.

By 1819, these forces had left much of England in depression. Poverty and famine had struck many towns. The situation grew worse when the government began passing the Corn Laws, a series of measures that raised the price of imported grains in the hope of stimulating England's domestic agricultural economy. The result of these measures, however, was that grains and bread became unaffordable to average people. A weak economy and mass unemployment severely worsened the situation.

Many of the affected people felt that unrealistic and harmful acts such as the Corn Laws were the product of a government detached from the real will and needs of the people. At that time, England was ruled by a monarchy and Parliament. Although Parliament ostensibly represented the common people, in reality a very small percentage of the English population, about 2 percent, could vote for their representatives. Rising numbers of reformers pushed to increase representation in Parliament by extending the right to vote to many more English citizens. They felt that nationwide suffrage would bring much-needed improvements to tax and trade laws that were hurting the common people.

As this desire for reform spread and intensified, many people began openly protesting. They also spread the radical messages of reformers such as Henry Hunt and William Cobbett. This rising tide of protest alarmed many English leaders and nobles, who felt it might swell into a violent rebellion such as the French Revolution that bloodily unseated the traditional leaders and threw the country into disarray. Many of England's aristocrats felt that the protests should be put down as quickly as possible.

Overview

On August 16, 1819, a large group of protestors met at St. Peter's Fields in Manchester, England. Estimates of the number of protestors range from sixty thousand to one hundred thousand. Some of these people had come from local towns and villages while others had marched as far as thirty miles to attend. Bands buoyed the marchers' spirits and created a cheerful atmosphere.

Most reports indicate that the people were orderly, peaceful, and even well dressed. Many people wore their Sunday clothes, and many female marchers wore white as a symbol of their purity. Some marchers carried banners with optimistic slogans such as "Universal Suffrage," "Equal Representation," "Love," and "Reform." The attendees gathered around a simple platform from which several speakers, most notably the eminent Henry Hunt, would address the assembly.

Although the assembly was by most accounts peaceful, the presence of such a vast number of protestors greatly alarmed local leaders. Magistrates in Manchester feared that the protestors were plotting a revolution, and therefore ordered that Henry Hunt and other speakers and organizers be arrested. Considering the difficulty of apprehending a few individuals in such a large crowd, the magistrates mobilized local armed forces. Among these were the Manchester Yeomanry, a group of inexperienced volunteers, as well as the 15th Hussars, a formidable regiment of light cavalrymen.

The Yeomanry headed into the assembly first and quickly began attacking many of the protestors with swords. Their actions may have stemmed from panic and poor training; from personal vendettas against some of the locals in the crowd; or even, as some have charged, drunkenness. Some six hundred hussars arrived shortly afterward at a charge, swinging their sabers. The protestors had no defense and retreated in panic, trampling several of their number. The soldiers kept on the attack, however. Within about ten minutes, St. Peter's Fields were cleared of protestors. Most had fled. Between ten and twenty had died from attacks and trampling, and about seven hundred had suffered serious injuries. Hunt and several other leaders were arrested and jailed.

News of the St. Peter's Fields attack spread quickly, with the event being dubbed the Peterloo Massacre as a reference to the disastrous fate of French general Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo. At first, much of the publicity was meant to gather financial support for the injured protestors and the families of those who were killed, or to condemn the behavior of the soldiers. Later publicity was meant to continue promoting the cause of the protestors in support of universal suffrage, even though that risked severe penalties from the government.

Descriptions of the massacre brought a widespread wave of sympathy for the protestors and their cause, and outrage at the government and military. However, government leaders admitted no mistake. Rather, they absolved the Peterloo soldiers of any wrongdoing, and instead congratulated them for breaking up the protest. The government then passed new laws that further repressed dissention, mainly the so-called Six Acts, by restricting the freedoms of assembly and expression.

Many people defied the new regulations. Writers including Percy Bysshe Shelley and William Hone celebrated the protestors' cause and criticized the actions of the government. In addition, artwork and a variety of themed souvenirs spread the cause and perpetuated the memories of those who had died. Ultimately, even though the Manchester rally had been a bloody disaster, it eventually turned into a success for the cause. News of the massacre raised public sympathy for the protestors and spread their message across the country. Many historians feel that the massacre was one of the crucial events in winning voting rights in England.

Bibliography

Bennett, Charlie. "Manchester Walking Tour—Peterloo Massacre, 196 Years On." Guardian, 17 Aug. 2015, www.theguardian.com/uk-news/the-northerner/2015/aug/17/manchester-walking-tour-peterloo-massacre-196-years-on. Accessed 7 June 2017.

Bruton, F.A. Three Accounts of Peterloo and the Story of Peterloo. U of Manchester P, 1921.

Castelow, Ellen.

"Manchester: Peterloo Massacre." BBC, 19 Mar. 2008, www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2007/08/15/160807‗peterloo‗memorial‗feature.shtml. Accessed 7 June 2017.

Mather, Ruth. "The Peterloo Massacre." British Library, 15 May 2014, www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/the-peterloo-massacre. Accessed 7 June 2017.

"Peterloo." National Archives, www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/politics/g4/. Accessed 7 June 2017.

"Peterloo Massacre." Working Class Movement Library, www.wcml.org.uk/our-collections/protest-politics-and-campaigning-for-change/peterloo-massacre/. Accessed 7 June 2017.

The Peterloo Memorial Campaign, www.peterloomassacre.org/history.html. Accessed 7 June 2017.