Title

Fergus O’Connor’s Speech to the Great Chartist Gathering

Description

The Great Chartist gathering on Kennington Common on 10 April 1848 was the first time a large outdoor political crowd was captured on camera.In April 2018, to mark the 170th anniversary of the event, Richard Galpin of the Kennington Chartist Project engaged actor Tom Collins to read a transcript of Chartist leader Feargus O’Connor’s speech in which he appealed to the crowd to disperse.It was the toughest speech of his political career as he was a seriously ill old man effectively conceding defeat that day. Listen for the emotion in his voice imploring his audience to continue the struggle for the charter.

Temporal Coverage

10 April 1848; read April 2018

Date

1848-04-10

Subject

chartism

groups

mass meetings

people

speeches