Historical Background / Urbanization, Sanitation, Women's Liberation
As the 19th century came to a close, the United States was in the midst of an economic depression. In 1899, republican William McKinley was the president of the United States. The Chicago mayor was democrat Carter Harrison Jr. The population of Chicago was increasing immensely with new workers and immigrants. From 1880 to 1890, Chicago’s population doubled from about 500,000 to about 1,000,000. And from May to October 1893, more than 27 million people traveled to Chicago for the World’s Columbian Exposition. All these people deteriorated public health conditions and only intensified the need for clean streets that are free of animal waste. Homeless dogs and cats searched the streets of Chicago through massive crowds of people for crumbs of food and temporary shelter.
Animals’ rights were being violated. A large percentage of Chicago’s estimated 50,000 workhorses were old, ill, and badly cared for. Many were being beaten by insensitive drivers. Union Stock Yards and the slaughterhouses displayed little to no concern for the livestock they managed and occurrences of barbarous butchery practices were not uncommon. Americans were only waking up to the concept that animals have rights and deserved basic protection. Progressive social reforms in Chicago began to rise and women were the impetus of this movement.
Animals’ rights were being violated. A large percentage of Chicago’s estimated 50,000 workhorses were old, ill, and badly cared for. Many were being beaten by insensitive drivers. Union Stock Yards and the slaughterhouses displayed little to no concern for the livestock they managed and occurrences of barbarous butchery practices were not uncommon. Americans were only waking up to the concept that animals have rights and deserved basic protection. Progressive social reforms in Chicago began to rise and women were the impetus of this movement.
Since the suffrage movement which emerged in the 1850s, women wanted to become more active in changing their community. Many women lead in making ground breaking social associations and reforms. Jane Adams established Hull House in 1889 to give social services to immigrants and the working poor. Also, Chicago’s Women’s Clubs formed humanitarian organizations to respond to the needs of the city’s poor, neglected and abused.
These were the social, political and humanitarian conditions of the times that lead the origins of the Anti-Cruelty Society. |