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Anti-Corn Law League established in Great Britain by Richard Cobden

The Anti–Corn Law League was a successful political movement in Great Britain aimed at the abolition of the unpopular Corn Laws, which protected national farming interests by levying taxes on...

The Anti–Corn Law League was a successful political movement in Great Britain aimed at the abolition of the unpopular Corn Laws, which protected national farming interests by levying taxes on imported wheat, thus raising the price of bread at a time when factory-owners were trying to cut wages. The League was a middle-class nationwide organisation that held many well-attended rallies on the premise that a crusade was needed to convince parliament to repeal the corn laws. Its long-term goals included the removal of feudal privileges, which it denounced as impeding progress, lowering economic well-being, and restricting freedom.

The League played little role in the final act in 1846, when Sir Robert Peel led the successful battle for repeal.

Historical Significance

The Anti–Corn Law League was a successful political movement in Great Britain aimed at the abolition of the unpopular Corn Laws, which protected national farming interests by levying taxes on imported wheat, thus raising the price of bread at a time when factory-owners were trying to cut wages.

Events Before

  1. Canada grants its Black citizens the right to vote

    Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the second-largest...

  2. German composer Felix Mendelssohn (27) weds French clergyman's daughter Cécile Jeanrenaud (20), until his death in 1847

    German composer Felix Mendelssohn (27) weds French clergyman's daughter Cécile Jeanrenaud (20), until his death in 1847

  3. Charles Goodyear obtains his first rubber patent

    Charles Goodyear obtains his first rubber patent

  4. Earthquake in southern Syria kills thousands

    Earthquake in southern Syria kills thousands

  5. Michigan admitted as 26th US state

    Michigan ( MISH-ig-ən) is a peninsular state in the Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwestern United States.

Events After

  1. Louis Daguerre demonstrates his daguerreotype photographic process to the French Academy of Sciences

    Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre was a French scientist, artist and photographer recognized for his invention of the eponymous daguerreotype process of photography.

  2. English naturalist and "On the Origin of Species" author Charles Darwin (42) marries Emma Wedgwood (41)

    Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology.

  3. First Grand National steeplechase at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool: Jem Mason wins aboard 5/1 favorite Lottery

    First Grand National steeplechase at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool: Jem Mason wins aboard 5/1 favorite Lottery

  4. Dutch prince Willem Alexander (later William III) weds cousin Princess Sophia

    Dutch prince Willem Alexander (later William III) weds cousin Princess Sophia

  5. Louis Daguerre's daguerreotype photographic process with complete working instructions is published "free to the world"

    Louis Daguerre's daguerreotype photographic process with complete working instructions is published "free to the world" in Paris as a gift from the French government

More from the 1830s

Slave plantation owner Charles Farquharson begins his diary at Prospect Hill Plantation, Watlings Island (San Salvador),

Slave plantation owner Charles Farquharson begins his diary at Prospect Hill Plantation, Watlings Island (San Salvador), the only plantation diary to survive from the Bahamas (ends Dec 1832) [1]

Curaçao census: 2,602 white people, 6,531 free people, 5,894 enslaved people

Curaçao census: 2,602 white people, 6,531 free people, 5,894 enslaved people

German Zollverein (Customs Union) comes into effect

The Zollverein, or German Customs Union, was a coalition of German states formed to manage tariffs and economic policies within their territories.

First official horse race in South Australia takes place in Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the fifth-most populous city in Australia.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on September 18, 1838?
The Anti–Corn Law League was a successful political movement in Great Britain aimed at the abolition of the unpopular Corn Laws, which protected national farming interests by levying taxes on imported wheat, thus raising the price of bread at a time when factory-owners were trying to cut wages. The League was a middle-class nationwide organisation that held many well-attended rallies on the premise that a crusade was needed to convince parliament to repeal the corn laws. Its long-term goals included the removal of feudal privileges, which it denounced as impeding progress, lowering economic well-being, and restricting freedom.
Why is Anti-Corn Law League established in Great Britain by Richard Cobden significant?
The Anti–Corn Law League was a successful political movement in Great Britain aimed at the abolition of the unpopular Corn Laws, which protected national farming interests by levying taxes on imported wheat, thus raising the price of bread at a time when factory-owners were trying to cut wages.

Explore More

September 18 in HistoryYear 1838