The first political movement of the working class in England.
The Chartist movement, the first political movement of the British working class, received its name from the "People's Charter" drafted by William Lovett in 1838 during a severe economic depression. It demanded parliamentary reform with the aim to gain access for representatives of the working class. Its demands were
The movement united the unemployed, the workers and the vagrant threatened by the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 and grew into a national force under the leadership of the Irishman Feargus Edward O'Connor. A Chartist convention in 1839 started the collection of signatures under a petition to Parliament and threatened "ulterior measures" if the Chartists demands where not met (although there was no unity about what these measures would be).
When the petition was rejected a militant branch of the Chartists (the "physical force") staged an armed uprising, but it was soon suppressed; its leaders were banished to Australia or sent to jail. The Chartists reorganized and started a second petition, which three years later had over 3 million signatures.
The second petition was again rejected. An improved economy took some of the energy out of the movement during the 1840s, and several of its leaders either gave up or turned to other causes. The revolution of 1848 in France and Germany and a bad harvest in Britain strengthened the movement, and a third petition was organized. It was rejected like the previous two. This was the beginning of the end of the organized Chartist movement. It existed for another decade or so but had lost its influence. Its demand were not met until decades later.