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Freedom and Justice Introduction

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Freedom and Justice Introduction

Explore how people have argued for freedom and justice in British history. Read the short account and use evidence to answer the questions.

A changing idea

Freedom can mean being able to make choices, express ideas and live without being controlled unfairly. Justice means treating people fairly and protecting their rights. These ideas have changed over time, and people have not always agreed on who should enjoy them. In 1819, thousands of people gathered at St Peter’s Field in Manchester to call for political change, including wider voting rights. Soldiers charged into the crowd. Many people were injured and some died. The event became known as the Peterloo Massacre. It showed that calls for political freedom could be met with violence. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, women organised campaigns for the right to vote. Suffragists used peaceful methods such as meetings and petitions. Some suffragettes chose more disruptive protest. In 1918, some women gained the vote in Britain; in 1928, women gained voting rights on the same terms as men. The story of freedom and justice is not finished. Studying it means asking who had rights, who was excluded, what people did to challenge unfairness, and what changed as a result.

Investigate the evidence

Use the written account as evidence. It gives information about historical events and changes over time.

1.Which statement best explains the difference between freedom and justice as they are used in the account?

Freedom is about having choices and rights; justice is about fair treatment and protecting rights.
Freedom means obeying every rule; justice means having no rules.
Freedom and justice only matter during protests.
Freedom is a law; justice is a type of election.

2.According to the account, what were people at St Peter’s Field asking for in 1819? Give one example of the political change they wanted.

3.Put these events in chronological order by writing 1, 2 and 3 beside them: women gained voting rights on the same terms as men; the Peterloo Massacre; some women gained the vote in Britain.

4.The account says that all women in Britain gained the vote on the same terms as men in 1918. Is this true or false? Correct the statement.

TrueFalse

5.Match each campaign method to its description.

Petition
Public meeting
Disruptive protest

A gathering where people share ideas and make their case
A written request signed by people asking those in power to act
An action intended to interrupt ordinary activities and attract attention

6.The account describes the gathering at St Peter’s Field and women campaigning for the vote. Why should a historian consider the account’s details and limits when investigating what happened?

7.Give one consequence of the events at St Peter’s Field described in the account, and explain what the event suggests about the risks of demanding political change.

8.Complete the sentence: A person or group can experience injustice when they are treated , or when their rights are .

9.The account describes both peaceful campaigning and disruptive protest. Explain one reason people might choose each method, and give one question you would want to investigate before judging which method was more effective.

10.Choose one freedom or right discussed in this worksheet. Explain why it matters, and give one way historians could investigate whether people in the past enjoyed it equally.