Anti-Cruelty Campaigns and Henry Bergh

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Jan 11, 2009 Kathleen Airdrie

Animal protection laws predated similar legislation to protect children in most western countries

Richard Martin and Henry Bergh were instrumental in campaigns to end cruelty to animals in their respective countries of Britain and the United States. Henry Bergh’s belief in humane treatment carried him beyond the formation of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Henry Bergh Philanthropist and Diplomat

Henry Bergh, philanthropist and diplomat, was born to wealth in New York City. During his diplomatic service in Russia and his travel in other European countries, he witnessed terrible cruelties towards animals. He knew that many animals were routinely abused and neglected in the United States.

Aware of the anti-cruelty movement in Britain, Henry Bergh consulted with members of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in London before returning home in 1864. Determined to raise awareness of animals’ situations in New York, and to bring about reform, he faced indifference, opposition, and ridicule. He used his wealth, prestige, and abilities as a lecturer to gain support from religious leaders, businessmen, and politicians.

New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

On April 10, 1866 the New York legislature passed the country’s first anti-cruelty laws as proposed by Henry Bergh. Modelled after the RSPCA, the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was legally formed – the first of its kind in the country. It eventually became known as the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Henry Bergh served as the Society’s president until his death in 1888.

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)

Henry Bergh’s interventions on behalf of mistreated animals on New York streets resulted in arrests and prosecutions of violators. Annals of the ASPCA show that in New York City on April 1886 when the driver of a cart laden with coal was whipping his horse, “passersby…stop to gawk not so much at the weak, emaciated equine, but at the tall man, elegant in top hat and spats, who is explaining to the driver that it is now against the law to beat one’s animal.”

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Beginnings

In 1874, social worker Marietta ‘Etta’ Wheeler approached Henry Bergh to request his help for Mary Ellen Wilson, a terribly abused child in a New York tenement. That request and subsequent actions led to the formation of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

Sources: By Harry Hendrick

Child Welfare: Historical Dimensions, Contemporary Debates

Published by The Policy Press, 2003

Intimate Enemies: Moral Panics in Contemporary Great Britain By Philip Jenkins

Published by Aldine Transaction, 1992

The copyright of the article Anti-Cruelty Campaigns and Henry Bergh in Historical Biographies is owned by Kathleen Airdrie. Permission to republish Anti-Cruelty Campaigns and Henry Bergh in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Animals Protected by ASPCA