Henry+Bergh


 * Introduction **

“Mercy to animals means mercy to mankind” (Quotes.com). Many people are known for their actions, yet the ones that have had the biggest impact are left in the shadows. Henry Bergh is one of the many important historical figures, over viewed by the public. He was a humble, compassionate, and motivated activist who fought for equality (Zawistowski). Although, his actions were carried on two centuries ago they have rippled through time. Through his achievements, he has opened people’s eyes to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves (Favre).


 * Personal Background **

Nobody knew that a man from an average home would turn out to change the world for the better. Henry Bergh was born on August 29 1813 in New York (Ferguson). After attending high, he enrolled in Columbia College and graduated with the class of 1834. Right after graduating, he fell in love with an aristocrat (Siebert). Henry courted and married Catherine Matilda (Ferguson). After the death of his father, he inherited cash and became a man of privileged leisure (Zawistowski). Because of this, he had to take over his family’s businesses (Ferguson).

In addition, during his time off Bergh dabbled in the arts and attempted a career in writing. As the War of 1812 continued, he designed and built ships for the US Navy. When he traveled around the world, he learned to speak English and Spanish (Shulman). In 1862, Henry Bergh was appointed Secretary of Legation in St. Petersburg by Abraham Lincoln. A year later, he was appointed to a diplomatic post at the Russian Court (Siebert).

Furthermore, his in counters of animal cruelty he operated the first ambulance for injured horses. In addition, he constructed public drinking fountains for all animals and their companions (Favre). Because he was so passionate about saving animals Bergh made a lecturing tour in the western U.S. Sadly, Henry Bergh passed away at the age of 74 on March 12, 1888 (Zawistowski).




 * Personality Traits **

Henry Bergh was the kind of person who would not stay quiet if he saw something; he felt was wrong (Favre). Represented and spoke for animals and children (Siebert). He got committees and politicians to pass ASPCA after much convincing (Favre).Bergh was very brave when he wore a special badge that allowed him to arrest someone who was committing a crime of cruelty (Ferguson). Henry prosecuted countless violators of the state’s anti-cruelty laws (Shulman). Bergh was truly inspirational, he got numerous foundations of local anti-cruelty societies to do more for both animals and children (Ferguson).

After many months of devoting himself, he finally got the federal government to ban cruelty to animals for interstate transportation (Ferguson). Henry Bergh was well cultured, which let him be particularly accepting of different ethnicities and very intelligent. Also was able to use his wealth to raise public awareness (Shulman). Henry was very much connected so important, well-known people supported him (Siebert). Because of his wealth, he was well traveled and let him have much experiences (Favre).

In 1866, Henry gave a lecture at Clinton hall in New York citing statistics and examples relating to animal abuse (Zawostowski). He stood up for what he believed in and did not let anyone tell him otherwise (Siebert). In 1874, many people considered him a hero for saving a child’s life from her abusive foster home. Henry Bergh did not stop helping those in need until the day he died (Zawistowski).


 * Obstacles **

Henry Bergh had to deal with many obstacles. Many people did not agree with him or his work to stop abuse (Favre). Countless reports of dogfighting were issued so it was hard to stop each one (Shulman). In addition, he had to deal with all the fur industries that were murdering numerous animals. Most of the media made fun of Bergh’s compassion for animals and children (Siebert).

During Henry Bergh’s era, animals were routinely abused and neglect at the time (Ferguson). Sadly, he had to visually experience cruelty to be able to stop it. Usually the people that Henry confronted were violent (Shulman). When he looked for abuse at night, he would get sleep deprived so he was always tired. Bullfighting was becoming very popular as he continued his work and it started to become a thing that everyone wanted to attend (Favre).

In Addition, Henry did not complete degrees, which cause people not to believe or trust him. When Bergh’s father died he wanted him to continue to be a shipbuilder, but Henry wanted to pursue his dreams (Ferguson). After the death of his wife, he began to gradually fall. Henry Bergh became depressed and almost gave up on his work (Zawistowski). Subsequently, Bergh began to suffer from chronic bronchitis (Siebert). Finally, he suffered from humor deficit (Zawistowski).


 * Historical Significance **

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif;">Henry Bergh’s existence was and is crucial for our time. He has done what so many have not even able to do, which is care. Bergh took heroic action against man’s inhumanity towards animals (Favre). In 1840, he founded the ASPCA with much pride (Favre). Bergh also founded the child prevention for cruelty (Favre). He petitioned this organization after meeting Mary Ellen, a nine year girl being physically abused. Because of this, numerous humane societies sprung up from the nation (Shulman). For example, the Humane Society became extremely popular with his actions. After, Henry encouraged owners to purchase licenses for their dogs (Shulman).

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif;">In addition, Bergh enforced laws regarding child abuse (Shulman). Many of which are being reinforced and still fought for. He is the reason why abusing animals is a crime. Henry also pushed the government to charge people with offense when cruelty with children (Ferguson). He did not give up on himself, no matter how many times they denied his work or said he was ignorant. In fact, because of his persistence he was able to draft a Declaration of the Rights of Animals (Ferguson). With this hundreds of animal activists were delighted. After Bergh was able to design alternatives to shooting live pigeons at sporting events (Zawistowski). At first Henry Bergh was not able to convince many people, but then explained to them what they were doing was inhumane.

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif;">For one thing, Henry was able to put an end to dog fighting and cock fights (Zawistowski). As his actions continued the percentage of dog abuse and robbery decreased by 75%. He forced efforts on the welfare of horses and livestock (Siebert). Most horses in New York were starved. One trip changed Bergh’s life and the future of animals (Zawistowski). Once he saw cruelty for his own eyes, he realized what fate had in store for him. His work opened people’s eyes to cruelty and why the way we treated animals and children was so inhumane (Siebert). To this day Henry Bergh’s legacy and hard work will continue (Siebert).

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif;">References

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif;">Bonhomme, Brian."Russian Compassion: The Russian Society for the Protection of Animals - Founding and Contexts, 1865-75." //Canadian Journal of History// 2(2010):259. eLibrary. Web. 21 Sep. 2014. **SE#1**

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif;">Favre, David S. "History of ASPCA." //ASPCA//. 28 Sep. 2013. eLibrary. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. **SE#6**

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif;">Ferguson, Mark. "Henry Bergh." //Unitarian Universalists//. 17 Apr. 2012: eLibrary. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. **SE#5**

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif;">Shulman, T. Standford..."Child Abuse." //Pediatric Annals//. 5(2005):338. eLibrary. Web. 03 Oct. 2014. **SE#2**

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif;">Siebert, Charles. "The Youthful Bergh: A Fancy Boy." //National Museum of Animals and Society//. 2 Feb. 2014. eLibrary. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. **SE#3**

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif;">Zawistowski, Stephen, PhD "Learning to Give Philanthropy Education Resources That Teach Giving and Civic Engagement." //Learning to Give//. 2007. eLibrary. Web. 06 Nov. 2014. **SE#4**