Why is Queen Victoria so controversial? - Carolyn Harris (Level 1)

Queen Victoria was the queen of Britain for 63 years. She became queen when she was only 18. People call that time the Victorian Age. They think she was a very good and moral queen. She showed a perfect family image. Her white wedding dress started a fashion. She also used new medicine when giving birth. But Victoria also did some things that were not perfect. She did not want women to vote. She gave very little money to help Ireland during a famine. People called her the "Famine Queen." She also supported Britain taking over other countries. Many people in those colonies suffered. Victoria did some good things too. She helped start public schools. She wanted better sanitation. She learned about other cultures and was against slavery. But many people ask: should we judge her by her image or by what really happened? That is the big question.