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. |
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... reflected a greater concern for upholding human social morality, and most perpetuated the entrenched view of animals as property. Furthermore, few of them were effectively enforced.16 Nonetheless, these The Origins of Animal Advocacy 23.
... protection of animals and to secure, by lawful means, the arrest and conviction of all persons violating such laws.”20The wording reflected Bergh's ambitious vision for his anticruelty cause. The ASPCA was to 44 LEADERS AND FOLLOWERS.
... reflected their own idiosyncratic views on animal welfare. White perhaps had the most to lose by joining forces with the male Philadelphians. Since few possibilities existed for women in public spheres dominated by men, she certainly ...
... reflected the idiosyncratic beliefs of their founders, their constitutions and early legislative initiatives typically replicated the model established by Bergh. Furthermore, whether visiting an SPCA in Boston, Chicago, or San Francisco ...
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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 |