Response+to+the+Industrial+Revolution

= The Peterloo Massacre and the Luddites =

The Peterloo Massacre took place on August 16, 1819, in Manchester, England. The incident occured when tens of thousands of protesters gathered to peacefully argue a year of industrial turmoil and depression. Intiminated and unsure of the large number of attendees the British magistrates, or the government ordered the British calvary, also known as the yeomanry to attack. The numbers of killed and wounded were disputed; probably about 500 people were injured and 11 killed.

The Legacy of the Peterloo Massacre
The Peterloo Massacre left an impact on many lives of the early 19th century. For the common peoples also known as the bourgeoisie, the incident proved that the government was in need of serious parliamentary reform. It showed the true weakness and ineffectiveness of the British magistrates. It also proved the yeomanry to be poorly trained and illogical. For the incident to result in violence, it led to the strong feeling of nationalism amongst the British people. Many radical leaders such as Henry Hunt spoke out for reform. After the massacre occured Hunt and other radical leaders were arrested, tried, and convicted. Hunt was sent to prison for two years. ("Peterloo Massacre"). In later response to the incident, "the British Parliament pass the Six Acts, a limit on civil liberties in Great Britain that includes the prohibition of a gathering of more than 50 people" (The Power of the Industrial"). The British Parliament felt that this act would help prevent such a large gathering for protest from occuring again. However the people of Britain would still fight on for reformation.

The Luddites
A man who went by the name Ned Ludd began a social movement of British textiles artisans known as the Luddites. In the early nineteenth century, these men protested by destroying the machines which replaced them. The Luddites felt that because of the changes made from the Industrial Revolution, they were left without work. The Luddites had claimed they were led by one main Luddite, "Captain Ludd" or "King Ludd". The cause of the Luddite movement was due to the hardships of the the working class during the Napoleonic Wars. The movement began aroun 1811, in Nottingham, England. After numerous wool and cotton mills were destroyed, the British goverment finally suppressed the movement. The Luddites would meet at night and would discuss and practice their drills and maneuvers. The movement began in Nottingham in November of 1811 and continued in West Riding of Yorkshire in 1812. It also occured through March of 1813 in Lancashire. During the time of the movement in England, machine breaking could lead to heavy penalties or execution. Legislation passed the Frame Breaking Act, which made machine breaking a capital crime. In the trial of York, in 1813, seventeen men were executed. The movement became so strong the eventually the British military had to interfere. British troops fought relentlessly against the Luddites on the Iberian Peninsula. George Mellor and three other Luddites led an ambush on a miller-owner at Crosland Moor. The Luddites who were found responsible were later hanged in York. Luddism shortly after began to die down.

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[|The Luddites]