Restraining Political Passion: Medals of the Birmingham Political Union and the 1832 Reform Act

Abstract

AbstractThe Birmingham Political Union ‘of the Lower and Middle Classes of the People,’ was formed by Thomas Attwood and others in 1829, becoming one of the largest organisations to strive for parliamentary reform during the period leading up to the 1832 Reform Act. This article seeks to explore the role material objects had within the Union's activities, focusing on medals given to Union members and the ideologies that they manifested. Although the low subscription cost maximised the extent to which they represented the lower classes, the language used by Attwood and union leadership suggests that they only managed this class union by emphasising a restrained, moral representation of constitutionalism. The medal was a part of their exploitation of a form of nationalism that sought to operate within existing political structures. It pushed for limited reform, creating the illusion of political participation for the lower classes through material gifts associated with honour, respectability and morality that also reinforced the Union hierarchy. The interpretation of the design by other medallists and similarities with the medals produced for the 1867 Reform Act suggest the Birmingham Political Union held a place within a long political tradition that adhered to the same values that they espoused. Far from advocating radical sentiments, the language and motifs were designed to assimilate the rowdier classes by promoting nationalism and constitutionalism designed to be palatable for the Union's middle‐class supporters, acting to channel lower‐class political passion and maximise local support for the 1832 Reform Act.