An A-level standard History essay evaluating the usefulness of a source in revealing the attitude of Robert Peel towards the Irish famine and his efforts to address it, concluding that the source can be considered more valuable for revealing Peel’s attitude towards the famine than offering insigh...
LIV Assess the value of the source for revealing the attitude of Robert Peel towards
the Irish famine and his efforts to address it.
Explain your answer, using the source, the information given about its origin and your
own knowledge about the historical context. [20 marks]
Source 4, from a speech made by Robert Peel to parliament, is valuable for revealing
Peel’s attitude towards the Irish famine and the Prime Minister’s efforts to address
the famine, however it seems tells more about Peel’s attitude than the measures he
took in response to the famine so can be considered more valuable for the former
enquiry.
Firstly, Peel’s attitude towards the famine is revealed to a greater extent in source 4
through his use of phrases such as ‘further measures as may be requisite’ and
‘exigencies of the case’, which are indicative of a belief that the famine was a
devastating crisis that needed to be addressed. The source reveals that Peel not only
considers the famine a pressing humanitarian crisis that required intervention from
the British government, but also reveals that Peel considered it his own personal
obligation to attend to through his claim that: ‘I should have no hesitation in taking
upon myself the responsibility…’. Peel's assertion that he would have no hesitation in
taking responsibility as First Lord of the Treasury to adopt further measures as
necessary, even if parliament was not in session, highlights his personal dedication
and determination to alleviate the distress caused by the famine. It can be assumed
that this claim is genuine as he was particularly dedicated to maintaining the Act of
Union between Britain and Ireland through solving Irish grievances, believing that the
Union was necessary to preserve the stability and unity of the United Kingdom.
Additionally, the fact that Peel felt ‘much satisfaction’ by passing relief measures into
law and took into account the ‘feelings’ of the Irish people when implementing relief
measures indicates that Peel’s attitude towards the famine was one of genuine
concern and compassion for the Irish people. The overall earnest and persuasive
tone of the source demonstrates Peel’s compassionate attitude towards the famine
as, by highlighting the need for further reform and stating his dedication to
personally overseeing the administration of sufficient relief to the Irish, we can see
that he was willing to risk speaking up for the Irish despite the fact that at that time
politicians were largely racist towards the Irish and were likely to be dismissive of
Peel’s appeal for ‘further measures’, or perhaps even disapprove of him as a
politician following his advocacy for this cause.
Meanwhile, the source is useful to a lesser extent in offering insights regarding Peel’s
efforts to address the famine due to the fact that it was a speech made to
parliament focusing on his government’s actions to assist Ireland at the time.
Throughout the source, the persistent nature of Peel’s efforts to address the famine
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