Animal Rights History

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 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, education, literary research and the preservation of historical literature on animal rights, animal welfare, and the protection of animals.

Animal Rights Law

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

Animal Rights Quotes

References to the Rights of Animals in Historical Literature

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 Activists, Animal Welfare Advocates and Authors
Timeline of Quotes; Links to Historical Literature

Antiquity, Ancient Animal Rights Law & The Middle Ages

Antiquity, Ancient Animal Rights Law & The Middle Ages � Mythical & Divine Origin: Manu � Triptolemus � Before the Common Era (BC): Cave Paintings � Ancient Religions� Jainism, Historic India�The doctrines of Aims & Vegetarianism evolve. � Hasid � Drano � Siddhartha, Sakyamuni, Buddha � Mahavira � Pythagoras � Herodotus � Empedocles � Xenocrates � Polemon � King Asoka � Ancient Animal Rights Law � Cicero � Lucretius � Quintus Sextius � Virgil � Common Era (AD): Ovid � Sotion � Seneca � Pliny the Elder � Plutarch � Clement of Alexandria � Sextus Empiricus � Tertullian � Plotinus � Porphyry � St. Chrysostom � Old/Middle English Period [449-1485]: Muhammad � St. Francis Assisi

Renaissance & Early Anti-Cruelty Legislation [ca 1485-1660]

John Calvin � Pierre Charron � Leonardo Da Vinci � John of the Cross � Michel de Montaigne � Henry More � Thomas More � Francis Quarles � William Shakespeare � Philip Sidney � Philip Stubbes � Nathaniel Ward � Thomas Wentworth

Age of Enlightenment [ca 1660-1780]

Joseph Addison � Mr. Baker � William Blackstone � Rev. Henry Brindley � Father Bougeant � Christopher Brown � Patrick Brydone � James Burgh � Joseph Butler � Clemency to Brutes � John Evelyn � James Foster � Matthew Hale � David Hartley � John Hawkesworth � James Hervey � John Hildrop � Sir Richard Hill� William Hogarth � Louis Lemery � John Locke � Bernard Mandeville � Samuel Pepys � Thomas Percival � Alexander Pope � Humphrey Primatt � Sir William Pultney Jean-Jacques Rousseau � Richard Sheridan � William Shenstone � James Thomson � John Tillotson � Thomas Tryon � Voltaire � Nathaniel Wanley � John Wesley � William Whitson � William Wilberforce � Sir John Wrottesly� Articles-Extracts-Letters-Reveiws [Enlightenment]

Romantic Age, Modern Legislative Beginnings [ca 1780-1830]

Richard Amner � Mr. Baker � Anna Barbauld � Edward Barry � Samuel Argent Bardsley � Ralph Beilby � Jeremy Bentham � Thomas Bewick � John Bidlake � William Blake � Luke Booker � Robert Burns � Rev. William Bingley � Rev. Henry Brindley � Rev. William Bingley � Lord Byron � Clergyman of England � Samuel Taylor Coleridge � Joseph Cottle � Country Village Rector � William Cowper � George Crabbe � Herman Daggett � Charles Daubeny � Thomas Day � Lord Ellenborough � Lord Erskine � William Gilpin William Godwin � Sir Richard Hill � Rowland Hill � Rev. C. Hoyle � Wilhelm von Humboldt � Mr. Jekyll � Soame Jenyns � Elizabeth Kent � Charles Lamb � John Lawrence � Mrs. Mamby � Richard Martin � Thomas Moore � Mr. Morris � Mr. Newbolt� John Oswald � Sydney Owenson � Laetitia Pilkington � Rene Martin Pillet � Peter Pindar � James Plumptre � Samuel Jackson Pratt � Sir William Pultney � Anne Radcliffe � Legh Richmond � Sir Samuel Romilly � Benjamin Rush � Percy Shelley � Richard Sheridan � Louis Simond � Mr. William Smith � Mr. Stephen � Mr. Steven � Percival Stockdale Thomas Taylor � William Trinder � Priscilla Wakefield � Sir Robert Williams � John Wolcot � Mary Wollstonecraft � William Wordsworth � Sir John Wrottesly � Thomas Young � Articles-Extracts-Letters-Reveiws [Romantic Age]

Victorian Age, Anti-Vivisection & Early 20th Century [ca 1830-1900's]

Arthur Beale � Lewis Carroll � John Clarke � Frances Power Cobbe � Stephen Coleridge � William Day � James Drummond � James L. Drummond � William Hamilton Drummond � John Todd Ferrier � Thomas Forster � John Fox � Edward A. Freeman � Pere Girard � John Hill � M. T. Ingram � William Jerdan � Albert Leffingwell � Wilfrid Lescher � James Macaulay � Edward Nicholson � Henry Oxenham � John Budd Pitkin � Henry Salt � Carl Spencer � Lawson Tait � Mark Twain � Charles Vaughan � Howard Williams � William Youatt � Articles-Extracts-Letters-Reveiws [Victorian Age]

Periodicals - Articles, Extracts, Letters, Reviews

Animals Friend Magazine � Annual Register � Annual Review � Belfast Monthly Magazine � Anti-Jacobin Review � Bible Christian � British Critic � Christian Pioneer � Christian Reformer � Critical Review � Edinburgh Magazine � European Magazine � Evangelical Magazine � Gentleman's Magazine � Ladies Repository � Literary Panorama � London Magazine � Monthly Magazine � Monthly Mirror � Monthly Review � New Christian's Magazine � Orthodox Churchman's Magazine � Scots Magazine � Spectator Magazine � United States Literary Gazette � Universal Magazine � Universalist and Ladies Repository

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.

Plotinus in the 3rd century, refused medical treatments derived from animals. And although individuals such as William Shakespeare in 1609, Joseph Addison in 1711 Voltaire in 1764, Lord Byron in 1823 had already spoken out against the cruelties. The Victorian Age encompasses the beginnings of the anti-vivisection movement.

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).

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 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).