Peterloo

At the “massacre” of Peterloo, Manchester, in 1819, soldiers charged into a crowd of unarmed men and women. They had gathered to listen to Henry Hunt, a famous campaigner for political change. Eleven people were killed and more than 400 injured.

A Lord's View of the Peterloo Massacre, by Alex

The incident at Manchester in England, that some call a “Massacre” was merely a demonstration that the British soldiers and magistrates are not going to put up with this nonsense of better living conditions for the working class.2 Some lords insist that keeping the working class happy is the key to a good society. But, it is common knowledge that keeping the working class quiet, and working is the real key.

The whole gathering was really blown out of proportion. It was on August 16, 1819 that a meeting was called of all the substantial lords to discuss a gathering occurring on that day in which a rally of workers were gathering to listen to the public speaker, Henry Hunt. The Magistrates were worried that with this meeting, the workers would have enough people, power, and force to overthrow some of their government. We decided to station many soldiers, and police, all armed to where the meeting of the workers was being held. At 11:30 the workers came into St. Peter’s square where the soldiers were ready. The crowd gathered, and soon Henry Hunt started speaking. It was all about the working conditions in the factories, and soon we decided that they were going to rally to protest. The Magistrates ordered the soldiers to

1 Lords were the substantial center of the upper class in Great Britain in the 19^th century. They were given titles, The Duke of Wales, The Barron of Germany, Earls, and Baronets, by their wealth. Wealth was measured by the amount of land, lords owned. If you had lots of land, you would have many carriages, servants, and other luxuries.

2 The working class was demanding to be taken seriously by the aristocrats. The demanded to have rights in the government and health needs. Working in factories, whole families, for sometimes 14-hour days in little or no light, barely having enough money to buy bread. Because their living conditions were so bad, diseases spread very quickly among the workers in factories.

The Peterloo Massacre: Was it Worth it?

On August 16^th, 1819 the Peterloo Massacre occurred on Saint Peter’s Field in Manchester. Hundreds of people gathered around the field to listen to the radical speakers including Henry Hunt2, the most popular radical speaker of the day. The newspapers called this event the Peterloo Massacre because it was like the battle of Waterloo. In the battle of Waterloo Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo; in the Peterloo Massacre the military defeated the working class at Saint Peter’s field. The Peterloo Massacre was a terrible memory. Not only did it threaten the king’s rule, but also the citizens of Manchester. The Peterloo Massacre resulted in 11 deaths and about 400 people were injured. This was a horrifying event that will affect the rule of the government years from now.

Who is to blame for this crisis? Perhaps it was the government’s fault because they were too astringent with the crowd. They overreacted, and in result they sent the whole military to break up the crowd; but then again, they were only trying to protect the Royal Family. Maybe it was the speakers’ fault. They shouldn’t have talked about changing the laws of England. That is what the government is for. However, aren’t they entitled to their own opinion; for instance, what Martin Luther3 said, “ It is neither safe nor right to go against one’s conscience…” Was their act so bad that they needed to die for committing it? Henry Hunt should have just left the responsibility of the people of London to the government.

The Peterloo Massacre is still a problem for the Royals today. Some people look at the event as if it were only the government’s fault, therefore thinking that the government should be overthrown. The working class4 wants more rights and privileges. For instance, they want their children to go to school, and more luxurious living quarters. The working class also wants to be able to vote, to be treated better, and to be able to take some credit for their hard efforts and work. Their population is growing, and therefore, their opinions have growing importance. This issue may get out of hand. They must realize that the government was only doing what they thought was right.

This was a depressing event. This whole mess wouldn’t have started, if only Henry Hunt and the other speakers didn’t demand radical changes in the government. People’s lives would have been spared, and the government wouldn’t look so bloodthirsty. He had a right to his own opinion, but he should have realized that if a riot broke out in the crowd many more innocent lives would die. Henry Hunt and the other speakers are selfish men. They were only doing what was good for them. They said the speeches to get the working class involved. They may have acted as if they were helping the working class, but they were actually tending their own needs. Everyone who was involved in The Peterloo Massacre did something wrong, but I think the main person who should take responsibility for causing the massacre to end in bloodshed was Henry Hunt.

1 Queen Victoria was born on May 24, 1819. Her father died when she was 8, so her uncle Leopold took her father’s spot as Victoria’s parent. When she turned 13 she was told for the first time that she would become the Queen of Great Britain. At 18 she received the crown. She married her husband Albert in 1840. She was deeply in love with him, and had 9 children. People loved her and thought that she was the perfect ruler for England. The Industrial revolution is also called Victorian Britain, because Victoria encouraged growth of technologies. Therefore she in a way, helped create the industrial revolution. People would say, “Victoria’s accession unleashed speculation of a new and wonderful age of progress and greatness for England.” She supported the Crystal Palace Exhibit. When Albert died in 1861 Victoria life became miserable. She didn’t want to rule anymore until her friend Mr. Brown helped her take control of her life.

2Henry Hunt was a radical speaker who wanted to change the government. He was born in Upavon, Wiltshire in 1773. He became involved in radical politics. He spoke at many public meetings including the Peterloo Massacre. During the Peterloo Massacre William Hulton instructed Joseph Nadin to arrest Henry Hunt and the other leaders of the demonstration. Before Henry Hunt could say a word the military rushed into the public meeting, killing 11 people and arresting the speakers, including Henry Hunt.

3Martin Luther was a monk from modern Germany during the 16^th Century. He began the reformation against Catholicism.

4 In England they separated people into three different classes. They were the working class, the middle class, and the upper class. The working class was the lowest class. People in this class usually work in mines or as servants for factories. They do all the “dirty work”. They get the lowest paychecks and live in small apartments. Every day activities and items are split into three different classes. For example, when trains were invented, there were three different sections. All the sections had roofs except for the working class car, until they went on strikes. Therefore, they were able to get more rights, including roofs on their section of the train.