six
English farm workers who organized a
trade union in the village of Tolpuddle, Dorsetshire,
England in 1832. For this they were convicted and sentenced in 1834, by an
antagonistic judge and jury, to seven years transportation (banishment to a penal
colony) in
Australia. The men had banded together to protect their meager wages, but were convicted of "administering unlawful oaths." This
charge was from the practice of initiating new members of their
trade union with a ceremony. Although the exact details of the ceremony are not known, it is believed that
initiates entered a room blindfolded, were
read to from the
Bible, which they then kissed, and took an oath not to reveal the
union's members or activities. They were then briefed on the rules and regulations, which included a membership
fee that assisted workers on
strike. The men's
conviction and sentence caused an immediate and large
public reaction in
England, especially in
London, and the men became
local heroes. The
government at first ignored the
public reaction; however, two years later in 1836 their sentences were cancelled.