American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was born from the convictions of Henry Bergh, a wealthy New Yorker who abandoned a diplomatic career after witnessing the brutal treatment of animals in Europe. In the mid-nineteenth century, New York City streets were crowded with hundreds of thousands of workhorses that were often starved, beaten, and forced to labor until they collapsed. Bergh returned to America determined to intervene, and on April 10, 1866, he secured a formal charter from the state legislature to create the nation's first animal welfare organization. He began patrolling the city himself, often stopping drivers on public thoroughfares to arrest those who mistreated their horses, quickly earning the nickname The Great Meddler for his persistence.