The first step of the Campaign! Make an Impact model is to study an historical campaign and understand how it works.
When planning a campaign today, it is useful to research the ideas and methods of a historical campaign to inspire you. For centuries, people with a common cause have come together to protest, campaign and try to change the world for the better. Many have failed, but others have succeeded and their effective campaigning has led to some of the most important rights and freedoms that we enjoy today. The context, issues and techniques of different campaigns vary greatly, but there are key elements of a successful campaign that are as relevant to today’s campaigners as they were to those in the past.
Explore the campaigns below to discover the methods each of them used to get their messages across and make an impact.
The trans-Atlantic slave trade was abolished throughout the British Empire in 1807. Learn about the successful campaign that fought for this.
Explore the campaigning techniques used by the suffragists and suffragettes to gain women the right to vote in the early 20th century.
Learn about that campaign that fought to improve the health conditions of the urban poor in Victorian Britain.
Learn about the techniques that the Chartists used when they campaigned to reform the electoral system in the mid-19th century.