Overview

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.

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9780804010863

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Reviews

Publishers Weekly May 8, 2006 *Starred Review* Destined to become a classic in its field, historian Beers's study of the animal advocacy movement in the U.S. since the ASPC's founding in 1866 fills a glaring historical gap with exceptional style, accuracy and insight. Beers observes that while involvement in the animal rights movement has exploded since the 1975 publication of Peter Singer's Animal Liberation, with more than 7,000 organizations today representing more than 10 million members, the movement has historical amnesia. To counter this, she shows how animal rights activism has been far more successful historically and has had a far greater impact on society than previously suggested. Displaying an impressive mastery of social and environmental contexts, the author reviews a range of activism, from the influence of the abolitionist movement on the radical humanists working for the emancipation of animals in the post-Civil War era, through the antivivisection movement of t

To understand the contemporary animal protection movement, there is no better place to start than Diane Beers's For the Prevention of Cruelty. She recounts the fascinating history of the anticruelty movement with insight and wisdom but also with criticism when it is deserved. --Kim W. Stallwood, Co-executive Director, Animals and Society Institute

Author Information

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

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