Victorian morality facts for kids
Victorian morality refers to the strong moral beliefs of people in Britain during the 1800s. This time is known as the Victorian era, named after Queen Victoria. These values, which included religion, good behavior, hard work, and self-improvement, became very important in all parts of society. Even old books and plays, like those by William Shakespeare, were changed to remove anything considered unsuitable for children.
The Victorian era was a time of big changes. People tried to act very proper and polite on the outside. There were also serious discussions about how to make these new moral rules work. For example, the international slave trade was stopped, and the Royal Navy helped enforce this ban. Slavery was also ended in all British colonies. Rules were made to stop child labour in factories. However, Homosexuality remained against the law.
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Changes in Behavior
Victorian morality brought a surprising new way of life. People's moral standards and actual behavior changed a lot across Britain. One historian, Harold Perkin, noted that between 1780 and 1850, the English became much more polite and orderly. They were less aggressive and violent than before.
Historians still discuss why these big changes happened. Some believe it was a strong reaction against the French Revolution. Others point to the powerful influence of the evangelical movement. This religious group, both within and outside the Church of England, pushed for many reforms. They set up groups to watch behavior and encourage the government to act.
Among the richer classes, activities like gambling and horse racing became less popular. The wild and extravagant behavior seen among the upper class earlier in the 1800s mostly disappeared.
Historians agree that the middle classes not only believed in high moral standards but also followed them. There is some debate about whether working-class people followed these rules as much. However, new studies show that living together without marriage was actually quite rare among the working class.
Ending Slavery
Stopping slavery was a major goal for many religious groups starting in the late 1700s. William Wilberforce was a key leader in this movement. These groups were very organized. They created campaigns that showed the terrible realities of slavery, making people feel strongly against it. This same passion and organization helped other reform movements too.
Queen Victoria became queen in 1837. This was just four years after slavery was officially ended across the entire British Empire. The movement against slavery had worked for many years to achieve this ban. They first succeeded in banning the slave trade in 1807. But owning slaves was only made illegal in 1833. It took a long time because the moral arguments against slavery faced strong opposition. Some businesses claimed they would be ruined if they could not use slave labor.
Eventually, plantation owners in the Caribbean received a large sum of money as compensation. This amount, £20 million, was based on the market price of slaves. William E. Gladstone, who later became a famous reformer, managed the payments to his own father for their hundreds of slaves. The Royal Navy patrolled the Atlantic Ocean. They stopped ships suspected of trading African slaves to the Americas and freed any slaves they found. The British also created a colony in West Africa called Sierra Leone. They transported freed slaves there. Freed slaves from Nova Scotia founded and named the capital of Sierra Leone "Freetown".
Stopping Cruelty
Cruelty to Animals
William Wilberforce, Thomas Fowell Buxton, and Richard Martin helped create the first laws against animal cruelty. The Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act 1822 only covered cattle and was easily passed in 1822.
Later, in 1839, a law called the Metropolitan Police Act 1839 made it illegal to have animals fight each other. This included lions, bears, badgers, and dogs. The law also set many rules about how animals could be used. It stopped owners from letting mad dogs run loose. Police were given the right to destroy any dog thought to have rabies. It also made it illegal to use dogs to pull carts. This law was extended to all of England and Wales in 1854.
Poor people often used dog-pulled carts to deliver milk or food. They also used them to collect trash. These dogs could get rabies, and cases of the disease were increasing among people. The dogs also bothered horses, which were very important for city transport. Groups like the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals convinced Parliament that using cart dogs was cruel. They also argued it should be illegal. Government inspectors were added to make sure the law was followed. People then used handcarts instead of dog carts.
Historian Harold Perkin wrote that between 1780 and 1850, the English became much more polite and orderly. They were less aggressive and violent. This change led to less cruelty towards animals, criminals, and children. Many cruel sports, like bull-baiting, were stopped. The legal system also became less harsh, removing many crimes that carried the death penalty. Sunday became a day for prayer and quiet reflection.
Child Labor
Religious groups played a big part in showing how bad child labor was. They also helped create laws against it. These groups were angry that poor children had to work in terrible conditions. This went against the idea that childhood should be a time of innocence. This anger led to the first campaigns to protect children legally.
Reformers began fighting child labor from the 1830s. The campaign for the Factory Acts was led by wealthy people who cared about others. One important person was Lord Shaftesbury. He introduced bills in Parliament to reduce the exploitation of children at work.
In 1833, he introduced the Ten Hours Act 1833. This law said that children working in cotton and wool mills had to be at least nine years old. No one under 18 could work more than ten hours a day. They also could not work more than eight hours on a Saturday. No one under 25 was allowed to work at night. The Factory Act of 1844 said children aged 9 to 13 could work for a maximum of 9 hours a day, with a lunch break.
More laws were passed throughout the century to increase child protection. This happened even though some factory owners believed the government should not interfere. Parliament generally avoided interfering with adult men's work during the Victorian era.
Unemployed street children also suffered greatly. The novelist Charles Dickens wrote about the harsh life of children on London's streets. His books showed these horrors to many middle-class readers.
Why Morality Changed
Historians often look for reasons behind this new morality. Some point to the ideas of Hannah More, William Wilberforce, and the Clapham Sect. However, some historians, like Perkin, argue that this view gives too much credit to a small group. He believes they were a result of the changes, not just the cause. Also, earlier attempts at reform had failed.
This way of thinking also sometimes overlooks the importance of Nonconformist and Evangelical groups. For example, the Methodists had a strong influence among the working class. Finally, it misses a key point: the reformers were not just trying to fix an old society. They were trying to guide Britain into a new and better future.
During the Victorian era, movements for justice and freedom made greed and exploitation seem like public wrongs. The writings of Charles Dickens especially showed and recorded these conditions.
Peter Shapely studied 100 charity leaders in Victorian Manchester. These leaders often had wealth, education, and high social standing. Besides helping the city, their charity work also gave them social power and leadership. Being involved in charity helped boost one's social standing, but only to a certain extent.
The thinker Walter Benjamin connected Victorian morality to the rise of the middle class. Benjamin suggested that the shopping culture of the middle class made the sitting room the center of family life. He called English middle-class culture a "sitting-room culture." People gained respect through showing off their possessions. This desire for respect was also supported by hiding emotions and by creating a very proper social space. In this space, good manners were the most important quality for both men and women.
See also
- The New Life (2022 historical fiction) by Tom Crewe
