For the Prevention of Cruelty: The History and Legacy of Animal Rights Activism in the United StatesAnimal rights. Those two words conjure diverse but powerful images and reactions. Some nod in agreement, while others roll their eyes in contempt. Most people fall somewhat uncomfortably in the middle, between endorsement and rejection, as they struggle with the profound moral, philosophical, and legal questions provoked by the debate. Today, thousands of organizations lobby, agitate, and educate the public on issues concerning the rights and treatment of nonhumans. For the Prevention of Cruelty is the first history of organized advocacy on behalf of animals in the United States to appear in nearly a half century. Diane Beers demonstrates how the cause has shaped and reshaped itself as it has evolved within the broader social context of the shift from an industrial to a postindustrial society. Until now, the legacy of the movement in the United States has not been examined. Few Americans today perceive either the companionship or the consumption of animals in the same manner as did earlier generations. Moreover, powerful and lingering bonds connect the seemingly disparate American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of the nineteenth century and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals of today. For the Prevention of Cruelty tells an intriguing and important story that reveals society’s often changing relationship with animals through the lens of those who struggled to shepherd the public toward a greater compassion. |
From inside the book
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... organizations include, among others, the Argus Archives, the Animals' Agenda, the Women's Humane Society, the American Anti- Vivisection Society, the Animal Welfare Institute, the Humane Society of the United States, the International ...
... society as a whole have inherited from their mostly forgotten predecessors. As we ... movement in the United States. Since then, the cause has grown steadily and ... humane use of them for purposes such as food or clothing. This faction ...
... movement are often united by a common outrage, significant tensions and divisions between them have, at times ... humane education. Most concede there was a more vigorous and expansive movement after 1945, but only a few endeavor to ...
... organizations located in the eastern and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, where the majority of animal advocacy activities occurred. Although midwestern and western humane groups are mentioned occasionally, I do acknowledge a ...
... movement from 1865 to 1975, the year when Peter Singer's book signaled a shift in the cause toward liberation ... humane compassion for other species. Through cumulative and persistent efforts, this stubborn little movement has altered ...
Contents
1 | |
19 | |
39 | |
59 | |
5 Reaching Out to the Mainstream | 91 |
6 Our Most Strenuous Protest | 119 |
7 The Road to Liberation | 147 |
Epilogue | 197 |
Notes | 203 |
Bibliography | 267 |
Index | 295 |