Why did Dickens write A Christmas Carol?

Charles Dickens was first inspired to author his novella A Christmas Carol on his travels to Northern England, where he spoke at the Manchester Athenaeum (a philanthropicorganisation designed to aid the working poor). The lower classes were significantly uneducated, powerless, exploited by the rich and middle class, and neglected by society at large. Dickens participated in an event held in October of 1843 designed to raise money for the Athenaeum. He spoke alongside the prominent politicians Benjamin Disraeli and Richard Cobden.