Humanity Against Cruelty to Animals in Historical Literature, Timeline of Animal Rights History

Animal Rights History

These pages are part of an ongoing effort to provide free online access to historical literature on animal rights, animal welfare and the humane movement against cruelty to animals.

Timeline of Quotes; Links to Historical Literature

Antiquity, Ancient Animal Rights Law & The Middle Ages

Renaissance & Early Anti-Cruelty Legislation

Age of Enlightenment

Romanticism, Modern Legislative Beginnings

Victorian Age, Anti-Vivisection & the Early 20th Century

Periodicals-Articles, Letters, Reviews

Animal Rights Activists, Animal Welfare Advocates and Authors against Cruelty to Animals, An Alphabetical List

Quotes briefly introduce animal rights activists, animal welfare advocates and authors; the history of animal rights, animal welfare and animal protection; and the literature of the humane movement against cruelty to animals.

Links to Primary Source Historical Literature document the authenticity of quotations while providing more in-depth insight into the ideologies of the humanity against cruelty to animals and additional historical perspective on the continuing struggle for animal rights, animal welfare and protection of animals.

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 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.

The first organized agitation against Vivisection took place at Florence in 1863.…700 signatures were obtained urging greater moderation. Individuals such as William Shakespeare in 1609, Joseph Addison in 1711 and Voltaire in 1764 and Lord Byron in 1823 had already spoken out against the cruelties. Plotinus in the 3rd century, refuses medical treatments derived from animals.

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

(Beginning with the Antiquity Timeline)

Intelligence, Reason, Emotion of Animals

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

(Beginning with the Antiquity Timeline).

Kindness to Animals in Poetry and Plays

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

Religion, Religious Quotes & Sermons on Humanity to Animals

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

(Beginning with the Antiquity Timeline)

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

(Beginning with the Antiquity Timeline) 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 (Beginning with the Antiquity Timeline).