Heritage of Care: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Founded in 1866, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was the nation's first animal welfare organization. The society had its origins in the fervor for social reform that characterized the era following the Civil War. Its founder, Henry Bergh, organized the ASPCA because of his abhorrence of injustice - personally, he was never especially interested in animals. The society's agents - known in the early years as Bergh's men - were empowered to enforce the law through...