How did the Chartists affect the political rights we have today?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe how the Chartists campaigned and explain their impact on political rights.
Key learning points
- The Chartists were a group of men and women who campaigned to improve political rights in the UK.
- They had six demands written down on a charter.
- They campaigned through different methods, such as petitions and protests.
- They had a mixed impact on political rights.
Keywords
Campaign - actions or events organised by an individual or a group of people to achieve an aim
Protest - a public demonstration or action expressing disapproval or objection to a policy, decision or situation, often aimed at raising awareness or demanding change
Petition - a collection of signatures calling for an action or change in regard to a particular issue; this can be paper or online
Common misconception
The Chartists achieved their aims and Parliament adopted their charter.
The charter was not adopted by Parliament and the next Reform Act wasn't passed until 1867, after the Chartists had disbanded.
Teacher tip
Ask pupils to compare the six demands of the People's Charter with today's political rights, emphasising how their petitions, protests and mixed success contributed to the political freedoms we enjoy today.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following is correct?
Q2.Suffrage means ...
Q3.Approximately what percentage of men over 21 could not vote in 1900?
Q4.Place these events in chronological order.
Q5.Which of the following are correct about the Great Reform Act (1832)?
Q6.When did some women first gain suffrage in the UK?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the word to the correct definition.
a group of political campaigners in the 1830s and 1840s
actions / events organised by people to achieve an aim
a public demonstration or action to raise awareness or demand change
a collection of signatures calling for action or change
Q2.What percentage of men had the right to vote in Wales and England after the 1832 Great Reform Act?
Q3.How many key points were outlined in the People's Charter?
Q4.Match the leader to the type of campaigning they believed would be the best way to achieve the Chartists' aims.
peaceful protest and presenting petitions to Parliament (Moral Force)
violence was the only way to be taken seriously (Physical Force)
Q5.How many petitions were presented to parliament by the Chartists?
Q6.Which of the following statements were impacts of the Chartist campaign?
To help you plan your 8 citizenship lesson on: How did the Chartists affect the political rights we have today?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 citizenship lesson on: How did the Chartists affect the political rights we have today?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 citizenship lessons from the Why was the struggle for the vote important today? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.