Widening the franchise in 19th century Britain
I can evaluate changes to the franchise in Britain during the 19th century.
Widening the franchise in 19th century Britain
I can evaluate changes to the franchise in Britain during the 19th century.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The franchise remained limited after the 1832 Great Reform Act.
- Reform Acts in 1867 and 1884 expanded the franchise.
- Working class voters were enfranchised for the first time in 1867.
- Property qualifications continued to disenfranchise the poorest voters.
- Women remained disenfranchised throughout the 19th century.
Keywords
Franchise - the group of people who can vote in a country's elections
Property qualification - the need to own property in order to do something, such as voting
Disenfranchised - to take away power or opportunities, especially the right to vote, from a person or group
Residuum - word used to describe a group of people imagined as an underclass
Householder - the person who owns a house
Common misconception
All working class men gained the right to vote due to the 1867 and 1884 Reform Acts.
As property qualifications remained in place, a significant proportion of working class adult men remained unable to vote even after 1884.
To help you plan your year 9 history lesson on: Widening the franchise in 19th century Britain, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 9 history lesson on: Widening the franchise in 19th century Britain, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the Widening the franchise: who gained the right to vote? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
enfranchised middle class men
enfranchised some working class men in urban areas
enfranchised some working class men in rural areas