Gathering of Unions / 1832
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Gathering of Unions / 1832
THE GATHERING OF THE UNIONS Three meetings organised by the Birmingham Political Union, held at New Hall Hill during May, maintain the pressure for electoral reform
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Media ID 592003
© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10155580
1832 Agitation Attwood Birmingham Electoral Gathering Held Maintain Meetings Organised Pressure Reform Unions New Hall
EDITORS COMMENTS
This evocative image captures the spirit of the political upheaval that swept through Britain during the early 1830s, as the fight for electoral reform reached a fever pitch. The photograph depicts the "Gathering of the Unions," a series of three mass meetings organized by the Birmingham Political Union, held at New Hall Hill between May 1st and May 15th, 1832. These meetings were pivotal moments in the campaign for reform, as thousands of people from across the Midlands gathered to demonstrate their support for the cause. The Birmingham Political Union, led by prominent reformers such as Joseph Sturge and Thomas Attwood, had been agitating for change since the early 1820s. But it was the failure of the 1831 Reform Bill, which would have expanded the franchise to include the middle classes, that galvanized public opinion and led to the mass meetings at New Hall Hill. The image shows a sea of people, packed together on the hillside, listening intently to the speakers on the platform. Banners and flags bearing the slogans of the reform movement flutter in the wind, while in the distance, the spires of Birmingham's factories and churches can be seen rising above the crowd. The atmosphere is electric, as the people of Birmingham and the surrounding areas come together to maintain the pressure for reform, and to demand their right to be heard in the political process. The Gathering of the Unions was a turning point in the history of British democracy, and helped to pave the way for the passage of the Reform Act of 1832, which finally extended the franchise to a larger segment of the population. This photograph is a powerful reminder of the power of grassroots organizing and the enduring importance of the struggle for political representation.
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