William Lovett
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William Lovett (Born Newlyn,Cornwall 1800 died 1877) was a British activist and the leader of the political movement Chartism, derived from Radicalism. Lovett was a London tradesman working in carpentry and cabinet making. He was a self-educated man who became a member of the Cabinetmakers Society and rose to the role of President. During the Reform Act agitation Lovett was a leading radical and was amongst those who urged arming in self defence in anticipation of expected attack. By the early 1830s Lovett had devloped skills which made him successful as the initiator and draftsman of the charter. He drafted the "People's Charter" in 1838, which was at the heart of a campaign for parliamentary reform of the inequities remaining after the Reform Act of 1832. In 1838 a petition signed by over one million people was presented to parliament in support of the Charter's implementation. The rejection of the petition caused a period of political unrest and intensive campaigning by the Chartists. For ten years the Chartists continued to campaign for the petition, but after its third rejection in 1848, the movement disintegrated.
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[edit] London Working Men's Association
The LWMA was founded by Lovett and friends in 1836. Its membership was restricted to working men and it had large support among artisans and craftsmen. It had 35 honorary members including radical MPs but these middle-class men were not allowed to take over the running of the LWMA, unlike rival associations such as the Birmingham Political Union, whose executive was dominated by the middle-class. The original purpose of the LWMA was educational but it became involved in radical campaigns such as campaigns for the unstamped press.
[edit] The National Chartist Convention
The Chartist Convention met in February 1839 in London and elected William Lovett as its secretary. The Convention supported the 1839 Chartist petition and tried to formulate a strategy for campaigns if it was rejected by the House of Commons. All 53 members of the Convention were elected and they claimed to be more representative than parliament. The largest delegation came from the North and supported Feargus O'Connor but 8 members came from the LWMA and Lovett retained a significant influence. The Convention decided to prepare for ulterior measures if the Chartist petition failed and this led to the National Strike in August 1839. However, disagreements between the Chartist leadership and a failure to produce a clear plan as a result of the petition's rejection has meant some historians have accused the Convention of failing to take up its leadership responsabilities which led to Chartism's failure.
[edit] The New Move
Lovett devised an educational programme called the New Move through which he hoped poor workers would be able to better themselves through learning. The New Move was to be funded through a 1d per week subscription paid by those Chartists who had signed the national petition. Lovett planned a comprehensive scheme involving both children and adults Chartists such as Henry Hetherington supported the move However, O'Connor opposed the scheme believing it would distract Chartists from the main aim of having the petition implemented. The New Move was a disappointment and it never generated the popular supported that Lovett had hoped for. Membership never reached above 5000 and education was limited to Sunday schools.
[edit] Beliefs
He believed in temperance and was a staunch advocate of sobriety.
Against the standards of the time, he believed in teaching methods comprised of kindness and compassion.
Like his contemporary Karl Marx, Lovett disliked the political power of the aristocracy. Unlike Marx, however he believed that the lower classes would overthrow the bourgeois through non-violent methods.
Importantly, he wrote the book "Chartism: A New Organisation of the People" whilst in prison.
[edit] External links
- Biography: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRlovett.htm (Copyright status unknown)
- William Lovett and the "New Move" in Chartists [1]
- Chartism by Harry Brown
- The Chartists by Richard Browne
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