Father, Who Are the Chartists?, 1844

Millions who labour with skill, my child,

On the land – at the loom – in the mill, my child,

        Whom bigots and knaves

Would keep as their slaves;

Whom tyrants would punish and kill, my child

Millions whom suffering draws, my child,

To unite in a glorious cause, my child

Their object, their end

To mankind befriend,

By gaining for all equal laws, my child

Millions who ever hath sought, my child

For freedom of speech and of thought, my child

Though stripp’d of each right

By the strong hand of might,

They ne’er can be vanquished or bought, my child

Millions who earnestly call, my child,

For freedom to each and to all, my child;

They have truth for their shield,

And never will yield

Till they triumph in tyranny’s fall, my child

This poem was taken from The Northern Star, which was a Chartist newspaper featuring many poems written to inform and inspire. The Chartist movement sought the extension of many political rights at a time when less than 3% of the British population could vote. In 1838, the Chartists developed A People’s Charter with 6 demands.

• All men to have the vote
• Voting should take place by secret ballot
• Parliamentary elections every year, not once every five years
• Constituencies should be of equal size
• Members of Parliament should be paid
• The property qualification for becoming a Member of Parliament should be abolished

With the exception of yearly parliamentary elections, the other five demands of the Chartists were met. However, the above poem Father, Who Are the Chartists? still has resonance today, and the demands of the whole movement are still highly relevant.

Relevance Today

The poem speaks about a political movement of people united by their class and undivided by gender, race, or religion.