curiousa2z
Be patient till the last.
On April 10, 1866, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals (ASPCA) is founded in New York City by philanthropist and
diplomat Henry Bergh, 54.
In 1863, Bergh had been appointed by President Abraham Lincoln to a
diplomatic post at the Russian court of Czar Alexander II. It was
there that he was horrified to witness work horses beaten by their
peasant drivers. En route back to America, a June 1865 visit to the
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in London
awakened his determination to secure a charter not only to incorporate
the ASPCA but to exercise the power to arrest and prosecute violators
of the law.
Back in New York, Bergh pleaded on behalf of "these mute servants of
mankind" at a February 8, 1866, meeting at Clinton Hall. He argued
that protecting animals was an issue that crossed party lines and
class boundaries. "This is a matter purely of conscience; it has no
perplexing side issues," he said. "It is a moral question in all its
aspects." The speech prompted a number of dignitaries to sign his
"Declaration of the Rights of Animals."
Bergh's impassioned accounts of the horrors inflicted on animals
convinced the New York State legislature to pass the charter
incorporating the ASPCA on April 10, 1866. Nine days later, the first
effective anti-cruelty law in the United States was passed, allowing
the ASPCA to investigate complaints of animal cruelty and to make
arrests.
Bergh was a hands-on reformer, becoming a familiar sight on the
streets and in the courtrooms of New York. He regularly inspected
slaughter houses, worked with police to close down dog- and
rat-fighting pits and lectured in schools and to adult societies. In
1867, the ASPCA established and operated the nation's first ambulance
for horses.
As the pioneer and innovator of the humane movement, the ASPCA quickly
became the model for more than 25 other humane organizations in the
United States and Canada. And by the time Bergh died in 1888, 37 of
the 38 states in the Union had passed anti-cruelty laws.
Bergh's dramatic street rescues of mistreated horses and livestock
served as a model for those trying to protect abused children. After
Mary Ellen McCormack, 9, was found tied to a bed and brutally beaten
by her foster parents in 1874, activists founded the New York Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Bergh served as one of the
group's first vice presidents.
to Animals (ASPCA) is founded in New York City by philanthropist and
diplomat Henry Bergh, 54.
In 1863, Bergh had been appointed by President Abraham Lincoln to a
diplomatic post at the Russian court of Czar Alexander II. It was
there that he was horrified to witness work horses beaten by their
peasant drivers. En route back to America, a June 1865 visit to the
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in London
awakened his determination to secure a charter not only to incorporate
the ASPCA but to exercise the power to arrest and prosecute violators
of the law.
Back in New York, Bergh pleaded on behalf of "these mute servants of
mankind" at a February 8, 1866, meeting at Clinton Hall. He argued
that protecting animals was an issue that crossed party lines and
class boundaries. "This is a matter purely of conscience; it has no
perplexing side issues," he said. "It is a moral question in all its
aspects." The speech prompted a number of dignitaries to sign his
"Declaration of the Rights of Animals."
Bergh's impassioned accounts of the horrors inflicted on animals
convinced the New York State legislature to pass the charter
incorporating the ASPCA on April 10, 1866. Nine days later, the first
effective anti-cruelty law in the United States was passed, allowing
the ASPCA to investigate complaints of animal cruelty and to make
arrests.
Bergh was a hands-on reformer, becoming a familiar sight on the
streets and in the courtrooms of New York. He regularly inspected
slaughter houses, worked with police to close down dog- and
rat-fighting pits and lectured in schools and to adult societies. In
1867, the ASPCA established and operated the nation's first ambulance
for horses.
As the pioneer and innovator of the humane movement, the ASPCA quickly
became the model for more than 25 other humane organizations in the
United States and Canada. And by the time Bergh died in 1888, 37 of
the 38 states in the Union had passed anti-cruelty laws.
Bergh's dramatic street rescues of mistreated horses and livestock
served as a model for those trying to protect abused children. After
Mary Ellen McCormack, 9, was found tied to a bed and brutally beaten
by her foster parents in 1874, activists founded the New York Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Bergh served as one of the
group's first vice presidents.
