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
Results 1-5 of 35
... PSPCA PTA RSPCA SAPL SAR SPCA UAA USDA UNESCO WARDS WCTU WPSPCA YWCA National Catholic Society for Animal Welfare, renamed Society for Animal Rights and subsequently International Society for Animal Rights New England Anti-Vivisection ...
... (WPSPCA) was “severely beaten while attempting to arrest a carter.”33 Refusing to be intimidated, activists maintained an unwavering commitment to and belief in the righteousness of their cause. As another frequent victim of assault, the ...
... WPSPCA effort represented an exceptional case. No evidence indicates the intentional exclusion of African Americans from humane organizations, but leaders probably ignored them as much as they did the poor as a whole. Some historians ...
... WPSPCA's success, but gender discrimination both within and beyond the movement constantly jeopardized the credibility and, thus, the effectiveness of their reform efforts. In the WPSPCA's first year, White felt compelled to rebuke male ...
... PSPCA agents investigated an astounding 1,192,203 cases and procured 17,826 convictions.6 During 1871, just one agent for the WPSPCA arrested 75 people, 54 of whom the courts subsequently fined.7 And by 1896, MSPCA case files detailed ...
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 |