This massacre started as a protest, and it was a "culmination of a series of political rallies held in 1819, a year of industrial depression and high food prices" (Britannica). Around 60,000 working class people (men, women, and children) marched to St. Peter's Field "to demand political representation" (Pidd) since at that time, only wealthy landowners were able to vote. Their protest was peaceful until some rich citizens paid for a private band of soldiers to attack the crowd. At least 11 people were killed with an estimated five to six hundred injured as a result. The exact number of people murdered is debated--some say that 18 people were killed, including an unborn child. Within ten minutes, the area was clear except for the dead (Britannica).

The protestors were motivated into action by a number of events. First of all, the end of the Napoleonic wars created a poor economy with thousands of soldiers returning home from fighting and in need of a job. Finances had also taken a massive hit, and there just wasn't enough jobs and money to go around. Secondly, a lot of these working citizens' jobs had been taken over by machines that could get the job done faster, better, and cheaper for the employers. A lot of factories also shut down with short notice because of "trade slumps" (Pidd). These people wanted to vote so they could improve both their lives and the economy.

The radical leader of this group was Henry Hunt. He came out of the massacre uninjured, but his hat had been pierced with a sword, which became the symbol for reform. Hunt was later arrested and imprisioned for his views and beliefs.

What came of it? The Peterloo Massacre "paved the way for parliamentary democracy and particularly the Great Reform Act of 1832" (Pidd). It sought out to give the working class the right to vote, and it eventually helped make that happen.

Information sources:

“Peterloo Massacre.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/event/Peterloo-Massacre.

Pidd, Helen. “The Peterloo Massacre: What Was It and What Did It Mean?” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 16 Aug. 2019, www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/aug/16/the-peterloo-massacre-what-was-i....

Image source: 

Archives+, Manchester. Advertisement for an Account of the Peterloo Massacre. 6 Feb. 2019, www.flickr.com/photos/55918222@N02/32065014037.