1848 Chartist Petition

This is the last Chartist petition presented to Parliament. A new Chartist determination, led by Feargus O'Connor, collected over 5 million signatures on behalf of the Chartist movement. The Chartists and the petition represented a desire to see that all adult men, regardless of social position be given the right to vote. It also campaigned for annual elections to Parliament, equal numbers of voters in each constituency, pay for MPs, and vote by Secret Ballot. Unfortunately, Parliament would later vote against the petition by 222 votes to 17. While the Chartists were not successful at the time, by 1918 all but one of their original demands had been pass by Parliament.