2. Who Were They?
• Textile artisans in the 19th century
• Violently protested against Industrial
Revolution machinery which made it possible
to replace them with low-wage workers
3. “Luddite”?
• Believed to be named
after Ned Ludd, a
somewhat slow youth
who had allegedly
smashed two stocking
frames 30 years earlier
• May or may not be true
4. The Movement
• Mills and factory machinery were burned by
handloom weavers
• For a short period, they were strong enough
to clash with the British Army
• The movement began in Nottingham in 1811
and spread rapidly through 1816
5. What Happened?
• In a mass trial in 1813, many were relocated
or executed
• “Machine breaking” became a capital crime in
1813 (this legislation was opposed by Lord
Byron, a Luddite supporter)
6. Why is this important?
• Legitimate movement that began with
negotiation and bargaining
• Targets were then carefully selected, not
random
• Intentions and ideologies didn’t go away when
the movement did
7. Incorporating with the Period
• Related anti-revolution sentiments to
Romanticism
“So we, boys, we
Will die fighting, or live free,
And down with all kings but King Ludd!”
-Lord Byron
8. Sources
• Byron, Lord. "Song for the Luddites." Web. 18
Sept. 2012.
<http://orion.it.luc.edu/~sjones1/byr1.htm>.
• Fox, Nicols. "Against the Machine: The Hidden
Luddite Tradition in Literature, Art, and
Individual Lives." Google Books. Web. 18
Sept. 2012.
