Chartism was a drive for more political representation for the working classes in the United Kingdom in the 19th Century.

The Chartist movement began in the 1830s and had large numbers of activists and a large amount of recognition for about a decade. What the Chartists really wanted was for more people to have political rights and influence. The movement had adherents in all four elements of the U.K.–England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

The name of the movement came from the People's Charter, which listed the six main aims of the Chartist movement:

• the right of all men over 21 to vote
• the right of all voters to vote by secret ballot
• the elimination of any property qualifications for becoming a Member of Parliament (MP)
• payment for serving as an MP
• an elimination in the size disparity of electoral districts
• the institution of annual parliamentary elections.

Collins

Lovett

O'Connor

The Chartist movement grew out of the political activism of a handful of existing groups, among them the Birmingham Political Union (BPU), the Great Northern Union (GNU), and the London Working Men's Association (LWMA). Well-known of those organizations who played a large role in the advancement of the Charter were John Collins of the BPU, Feargus O'Connor of the GNU, and William Lovett of the LWMA. The three worked together for a time, but O'Connor, who also founded the Northern Star & Leeds General newspaper, eventually became the movement's leader.

Many in the Chartist movement, such as Collins and Lovett, preferred to work within the system, to gather large numbers of signatures for a petition to Parliament and try to win over MPs with their words moreso than their actions.

Some, such O'Connor, favored a more physical approach. They advocated the use of hostile language and encouraged violent behavior. Some people even talked of taking up arms to support their street protests against what they saw as political disenfranchisement. Riots in Birmingham and Newport killed several people, injured many more, and resulted in the imprisonment of still more. During one particular large and loud protest, Queen Victoria left London for the Isle of Wight and the Duke of Wellington and thousands of soldiers were dispatched in the streets to keep the peace.

Leaders of the movement tried three different times to petition Parliament to address their concerns, in 1839, 1842, and 1848. Parliament, ignoring the fact that millions of people had signed each petition, rejected the Charter all three times. It didn't help that O'Connor, who had been elected to Parliament in 1847, had claimed that the 1848 petition contained more than 6 million signatures. Many of these were found to be duplicates or outright fakes. Those in Parliament tasked with verifying the signatures discovered the alleged signature of Queen Victoria herself. Preceding the presentation to Parliament of the third and final petition was a Chartist meeting on Kennington Common that authorities say was attended by 150,000 people.

The third rejection of the People's Charter convinced the leaders of the movement that their efforts were not going to be successful. Their activism led to later success, however, as the Reform Acts of 1867 and 1884 included elements of the Charter.