Transcript 1. The Act of Union 1800: the origin of all Ireland`s troubles?

Welcome Back!
• The plan...
– Now until Summer – Coursework content on the
Thursday and Friday double. Monday double is for
your own independent study use. You may use
history rooms during this time.
– Summer – coursework and Germany reading
– Next year – 4 lessons on Germany per week with
me and 2 lessons per week on coursework
– A level make-up – 25% Africa, 25% Britain, 15%
Coursework, 35% Germany
• Ireland Folders
– 1st divider
• How have Anglo-Irish relations
developed up to 1800?
Coursework
Ireland and the Union 1815-1922
• Source based
– A question focuses on a depth study focusing
on a key event or individual. Primary and
secondary sources.
• E.g. 1. What was the short term significance of the Famine
in the development of Irish Nationalism?
– B question focuses on change over a 100 year
period. Mainly secondary source.
• E.g. How significant was O’Connell for the
development of Irish nationalism?
• What is the Irish
question?
– Content of Ireland and
the Union
The Irish Question was a phrase used mainly
by members of the British ruling classes from
the early 19th century until the 1920s. It was
used to describe Irish nationalism and the calls
for Irish independence.
The phrase came to prominence as a result of
the 1800 Act of Union which forced the
parliament of Ireland into a single governing
body with the parliament of Great Britain, based
in Westminster, with its usage persisting until the
signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, which
partitioned the island into two territories: a state
now called Ireland (which was originally called
the Irish Free State), and Northern Ireland,
which remains part of the United Kingdom
• Constitutional
relationship between
Britain and Ireland early
19th C
• Leadership and objectives
of Catholic and
Protestant communities in
the period
• Response of British
government to pressure
for change
• Partition of Ireland and
reasons for it
How did Anglo-Irish relations
develop up to 1800 and why did
they develop in this way?
What is the long-term history of Anglo-Irish
relations?
•
•
•
1170-1250 England gradually conquered more and more of Ireland, mainly for
land and wealth and to win support in battles for the crown. By 1250 they had ¾
of Ireland and introduced English county and judicial systems and land ownership
and inheritance procedures. The Irish largely became serfs and in 1264 a new
Anglo-Norman parliament was established to maintain further control. Members
of this parliament became increasingly powerful as the English kings were
preoccupied with European laws.
The Tudors took back more control of Ireland and in 1541 Henry VIII became
King of Ireland and gained greater control of the land. With the reformation the
English were worried that Ireland would be conquered on behalf of the pope.
Elizabeth I controlled Ireland even more tightly to stop the papacy taking
Ireland over. She stationed more English troops there. To justify her actions
she said Ireland was a ‘rude and barbarous’ nation. There were a number of
rebellions – both by the Irish and the Old English lords opposed to recent land
policy. Charles I and Cromwell went on to ruthlessly suppress rebellions. In 1700
a rebellion broke out in Northern Ireland, or Ulster, and this was then bought
under stronger English control.
Show on these maps Anglo-Irish relations. Shade the map, use
symbols, annotations and explanations.
1. The Act of Union 1800: the origin of all Ireland’s
troubles?
Key areas:
How was Ireland governed before the Act?
•Grattan’s Parliament
•Catholic reforms in 1790s/90s
Wolfe Tone and the Society of United Irishmen
•Aims
•Rebellion 1798 and its impact
The Act of Union
•Contemporary arguments for and against the Act
•Passage of the Act
•Terms of the Act
•Results of the Act
The Anglican Ascendency – the 1700s
•
•
This was the domination in Ireland of protestants, which naturally had
stronger links to England, and of those who had links to England
They achieved this domination by
– Owning most of the land through the introduction of English land inheritance
laws and seizures of land - members of the Church of Ireland owned 95% of
the land
– Dominating the Irish parliament in Dublin
– Making the Anglican Church of Ireland very strong
– It introduced penal laws to try to force catholics to convert to the Church
of Ireland - Catholics weren’t allowed to vote, sit in parliament in Dublin or
Westminster, inherit or own land, join the legal profession or even own a
house worth more than £5. They couldn’t bare arms and their education was
curtailed.
• It resulted in..
– Ireland being governed indirectly by England
– Curtailing the powers of the Irish parliament
– Oppressing the Irish Catholics
Church of
Ireland
Land
ownership
Religion
Economics
ANGLICAN
SOCIAL
ELITE
Using the
previous slide and
pp. 15-17 explain
how the Anglican
was formed using
your theme.
Politics
Government
What impact did the American War of
Independence have on Anglo-Irish relations?
Irish Patriots marching song
What does the above source tell you about the impact of the
American Civil War on Anglo-Irish relations?
• ‘The Irish protestant can never be free,
till the Irish Catholic had ceased to be
a slave’ Henry Grattan
– What is Grattan saying?
– What does he want to happen?
Grattan’s Parliament
•
•
•
•
•
•
However, even this Anglican ruling class resented restrictions placed on them from England – they asked for more
constitutional freedom in the 1750s when Henry Grattan was a leader of a group of MPs known as Patriots in the Irish
House of Commons – they denounced the subordination of Ireland to Great Britain they wanted commercial equality for
Ireland and legislative independence with regular elections. The Catholic Committee was formed 1760 which was more
moderate group trying to redress Catholic grievances.
In the 1760s Britain began the process of reforming the patronage system and introduced 8 yearly elections
1775-1782 American Civil War
Recognising the risk of the Volunteer (a new group of militant Irish protestants who wanted Irish independence) and
Patriot alliance, free trade was introduced in 1779/80 to help to lower tensions. Greater change occurred when the
British lost the War of Independence and North resigned – Rockingham took over as Prime Minister and he had been a
strong supporter of the Patriots cause.
In 1782 they finally achieved legislative independence in the ‘constitution of 1782’ as a result of the American Civil War.
This allowed them to set their own legislature. The crown still retained a final veto but the initiative for laws was now
with the Irish House of Commons and they could pass laws without the approval of Great Britain. It was called Grattan’s
parliament, as he was still the leader of the patriot party and one of it’s most important leaders.
Many of the restrictions on Catholics in the penal laws were also lifted – they could now vote and own property freehold
over 40s.
How did conditions for Irish people
improve?
Why did they improve?
Ireland is now a nation. Grattan.
Do you agree? How could you
challenge him? Think about why he
is saying this.
How far did constitutional reform in 1782 go towards
giving Ireland independence from England?
Pp. 18-19
Points that agree
Points that disagree
The 1798 Rebellion
•
•
1789 - French Revolution
This encouraged Irish nationalists – the volunteer movement remained powerful, the
Catholic Committee became more radical
–
–
–
In 1791 the Society of United Irishmen was founded by Wolfe Tone to try to bring about Irish
independence. He hoped to ally with France during their revolution and defeat England together.
In 1793 England worried about this as they began to fight France and they were concerned about
a Catholic-Presbyterian vote. In 1793 Irish Catholics were granted the right to vote and most civil
and military posts were thrown open to them. O’Connell – someone you will study later – became a
member of the Irish Bar. However, these didn’t help as Catholics still couldn’t sit in parliament or
hold public office
By 1797 the Society of United Irishmen was secretive and aggressive, and had 100,000 active
supporters. Tone became increasingly anti-British and pro-French. An English landowning force
moved against them in Belfast – they managed to destroy the society’s structure, leadership, and
support. In 1798 they then attacked them in Dublin and martial law was declared.
The society attempted a revolution in 1798. However, because of the attacks in the previous year
they couldn't get a hold on it and the revolution became a series of isolated rebellions based on
local grievances. They were easily defeated by the English due to their lack of leadership and
organisation. The leaders were executed or transported to Australia and the rank a file were
allowed to go back to their homes. The French surrendered as they only had 1000 men. The PM of
England believed there was too much division between England and Ireland which was how the
rebellion had taken place. Some of the Anglican ascendancy believed it was a Catholic rebellion
against Protestantism. In South East Ireland, Wexford, it became a bloody religious war. The
English PM pushed for a stronger legislative union between Great Britain and Ireland – which would
become the Act of Union when the Irish parliament would be abolished.
Who are these groups and how did
the affect Anglo-Irish relations?
•
•
•
•
The Patriots
The Volunteer
The Society of United Irishmen
The Catholic Committee
How did Anglo-Irish relations
develop up to 1800 and why did
they develop in this way?
The Society of United Irishmen & the rebellion of
1798
Task:
You are going to be given a set of
cards. Your group must come up
with a speech which summarises
your argument and your stance
towards the Act of Union. Your
aim is to persuade the rest of the
group to your views.
You must include all of your
arguments in your speech.
The Act of Union 1800
Lord Clare, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, in a speech to Irish
Parliament in 1799
Source
Arguments for/against
the Act of Union
Provenance
Pitt, British Prime Minister, explaining the Act of Union in
January 1799
John Foster, the Attorney General 1799
Why did the anti-Unionists
fail?
•
The Acts ratified eight articles which had been previously agreed by
the British and Irish Parliaments:
– Articles I–IV dealt with the political aspects of the Union which included
Ireland having over 100 MPs representing it in the united parliament,
meeting in the Palace of Westminster. Ireland gained 100 seats in the House
of Commons and 32 seats in the House of Lords: 28 representative peers
elected for life, and four clergymen of the (Anglican) Church of Ireland,
chosen for each session.
– Article V created a united Protestant church, the United Church of England
and Ireland.
– Article VI created a customs union, with the exception that customs duties
on certain British and Irish goods passing between the two countries would
remain for 10 years (a consequence of having trade depressed by the
ongoing war with revolutionary France).
– Article VII stated that Ireland would have to contribute two-seventeenths
towards the expenditure of the United Kingdom. The figure was a ratio of
Irish to British foreign trade.
– Article VIII formalised the legal and judicial aspects of the Union.
How far were the hopes for the Act of Union fulfilled?
Completely
Not at all