For the Prevention of Cruelty

by Beers, Diane L.

• ISBN13: 9780804010863
• ISBN10: 0804010862
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-06-05
• Publisher: Swallow Pr

Summary

Animal 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.

Author Biography

Diane L. Beers is an associate professor of history at Holyoke Community College, where she teaches social, environmental, and African American history.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	ix
Acknowledgments	xi
List of Abbreviations	xv
one Resurrecting the Voice
Animal Advocacy in History	1	(18)
two A Movement Takes Shape
The Origins of Animal Advocacy	19	(20)
three Leaders and Followers
The New Humanitarians	39	(20)
four "The Voice of the Voiceless"
Early Campaigns, 1866-1915	59	(32)
five Reaching Out to the Mainstream
Animal Advocacy Evolves, 1915-45	91	(28)
six "Our Most Strenuous Protest"
Antivivisection before 1945	119	(28)
seven The Road to Liberation
The Rise of the Postwar Movement and the Era of Legislation, 1945-75	147	(50)
Epilogue	197	(6)
Notes	203	(64)
Bibliography	267	(28)
Index	295