"A wonderful resource for all of us interested in learning more about those who have spoken for the voiceless in the past."

Tom Regan, Author of The Case for Animal Rights

Our Free Online Library of Primary Source Historical Literature documents the authenticity of Quotes introducing Animal Rights Activists, Animal Welfare Advocates, Legislators, Authors and others against cruelty to animals while providing more in-depth insight into the ideologies of humane movement against cruelty to animals and additional historical perspective on the continuing struggle for Animal Rights, Animal Welfare and the Protection of Animals.

Animal Rights History is recognized by the
Institute of Historical Research, University of London
in History in Focus, an online guide to Historical Resources

Animal Rights History is an ongoing effort to provide free online access to historical literature on animal rights, animal welfare, and humanity against cruelty to animals. As a free online library, literary research resource, animal rights timeline and historical literature archive, AnimalRightsHistory.Org promotes and facilitates: access to information, humane education, literary research and the preservation of historical literature on animal rights, animal welfare, and the protection of animals.

Antiquity, Ancient Animal Rights Law & Middle Ages

[BCE-3^rdc.] Mythical-Divine Origin; Antiquity—Classical Literature

[3^rdc.-1485] Early Church Fathers, Old-Middle English Period
Ancient Animal Rights Law | Early Prohibitions of the Middle Ages

Renaissance, Early Anti-Cruelty Legislation

[1485-1660] Leonardo Da Vinci—Beginnings of English Renaissance; Elizabethan Era, Age of Shakespeare
Animal Rights Law in the Renaissance, Early Anti-Cruelty Legislation

Age of Enlightenment

[1660-1689] Restoration
[1689-1745] Augustan Literary Period, Age of Pope
[1745-1785] Age of Sensibility, Age of Johnson
Animal Rights Law in the Age of Enlightenment, Early Pleas for Legislation

Romantic Age, Modern Legislative Beginnings

[1785-1798] Early Romantic Age; Blake, Burns, Cowper
[1798-1806] Wordsworth; Early Anti-Cruelty Bills
[1807-1832] Byron, Shelley; Martin's Act Against Cruelty to Animals
Animal Rights Law in the Romantic Age-Modern Legislative Beginings

Victorian Age Age; Anti-Vivisection

[1832-1876] Early Victorian Age
[1870-1901] Late Victorian Age; Anti-Vivisection Act
Animal Rights Law in the Victorian Age, Anti-Cruelty/Anti-Vivisection Legislation

Early 20th Century

[1901-1945] Edwardian Age, Mark Twain; Modern Age
Animal Rights Law in the Early 20th Century, Continuing Anti-Cruelty Legislation

Animal Rights Articles-Letters-Reviews

Articles, Letters to the Editor, Reviews of Books Against Cruelty to Animals
Animals Friend Magazine Annual Register Annual Review Anti-Jacobin Review British Critic Christian Pioneer Christian Reformer Critical Review Edinburgh Magazine European Magazine Evangelical Magazine Frasers Magazine Fortnightly Review Gentleman's Magazine Guardian Indicator Ladies Repository Leigh Hunt's London Review Literary Panorama London Magazine Monthly Magazine Monthly Mirror Monthly Review New Christian's Magazine Orthodox Churchman's Magazine Reflector Scots Magazine Sporting Magazine Spectator United States Literary Gazette Universalist-Ladies Repository Universal Magazine Talter

Animal Rights Law

Ancient Laws for the Protection of Animals, Early Anti-Cruelty Legislation & the Modern Legislative Beginnings of the Humane Movement Against Animal Cruelty

Thomas Wentworth's Act of 1635 in Ireland, as well as Nathaniel Ward's contribution to the Massachusetts Body of Liberties of 1641 establishes American and English law against cruelty to animals almost 200 years prior to the passage of Richard Martin's Act of 1822, a Bill to Prevent the Cruel and Improper Treatment of Cattle. Since these contributions were largely unknown until the late 20th century, the modern era of anti-cruelty legislation is usually traced back to the precedence set by "Martin's Act" and the amendments and legislative enactments against cruelty to animals that followed. However, it is King Ashoka, in the 3rd century BCE that we must honor as being the first to decree law not only for the protection of animals, creating the first list of "protected" species but, progressive even by today's standards, proclaiming the slaughter of animals as food or for sacrifice unlawful.

Animal Rights-Poetry and Plays

Poets-Playwrights Humane Sentiments against Animal Cruelty; Animal Rights, Animal Welfare and the Protection of Animals in Poetry and Plays

Anna Barbould • John Bidlake • William Blake • Luke Booker • Robert Burns • Lord Byron • Samuel Taylor Coleridge • Joseph Cottle • William Cowper • George Crabbe • William Hamilton Drummond • Empedocles • Hesiod • Lucretius • Ovid • Alexander Pope • Samuel Jackson Pratt • Shakespeare • Percy Bysshe Shelley • William Shenstone • Philip Sidney • James Thomson • Virgil • John Wolcot • William Wordsworth

Animal Rights Quotes

References to the Rights of Animals in Historical Literature

"Whereby [men] pretend a right to invade and violate [animals'] natural rights" (Thomas Tryon, 1684), and "with no kind advocate to plead in behalf of their invaded rights" (Clergyman, 1824), References to the rights of animals in historical literature against cruelty to animals "pleading the rights of the animal creation" (Legh Richmond, 1801) and "acknowledg[ing] that there are the RIGHTS of a BEAST, as well as the RIGHTS of a MAN" (Herman Daggett, 1791) helped form "the foundation of the Rights of Animals" (Thomas Young, 1798).

Anti-Vivisection Quotes

Quotes from Activists Against Vivisection, Experiments on Animals, Animal Experimentation, Animal Tests, Testing & Research on Animals.

Plotinus in the 3rd century, refused medical treatments derived from animals. During the Renaissance, William Shakepeare spoke out against vivisection in many of his plays while Henry More began a Latin correspondence with Descarte describing vivisection as "murderous and barbarous." And although in the Age of Enlightenment, individuals such as Joseph Addison, Samuel Johnson, Voltaire, Thomas Percival, William Trinder as well as Lord Byron, Elizabeth "Bessy" Kent, William Hamilton Drummond and James Lawson Drummond during the Romantic Age also spoke out against the cruelties, it is the Victorian Age that encompasses the beginnings of the anti-vivisection movement.

Animal Rights Religion, Religious Quotes & Sermons Against Animal Cruelty

Quotes against Sacrifice, Quotes on Souls; Immortality-Future Life of Brutes

Blood-Sports, Hunting Quotes

Quotes against the Cruelty of Bear-Baiting, Bull-Baiting, Bullfighting, Cockfighting, Cock Throwing, Throwing at Cocks; Field Sports, Fishing, Hare Coursing, Shooting

Humanity-Justice; Humane Education

Quotes on Humanity, Justice and Kindness to Animals; Quotes on Cruelty of Children; Teaching Children Kindness to Animals; Humane Education

Intelligence, Reason, Emotion of Animals

Quotes on Kinship with our Fellow Beings; Interconnectedness of Life; Fellowship, Brotherhood, Sisterhood, Animals as our Brothers and Sisters.

Use-Abuse of Animals; Slavery of Animals

Quotes against Cruelty to Animals as Laborers, Domesticated Animals,
Slavery of Animals, Analogies to Slavery, Servitude, Animals as Slaves
Horses: Tail-Docking, Bearing-Reins, Racing; Quotes Against the Cruelty of Fur, Feathers, Millinery; Protection of Birds; In Loving Memory of my friend and fellow activist Jenny Alvarado who coined the phrase "Make Compassion the Fashion."

Vegetarianism

Pre-socratic philosopher Pythagoras advocated a natural diet; entire essays against flesh-eating can be found as far back as the first century; and later authors continued to advocate the Pythagorean diet of fruits and vegetables. Pleas from Vegetarians, Remarks of Individuals whose Sentiments Suggest they Might be Vegetarians—although History Offers No Proof—and Non-Vegetarians Remarks Against the Cruelty of Slaughter and the Eating of Flesh document the history of vegetarianism.