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People started fighting for animal's rights in the early 1800's. The first person to change ideas about this situation was Jeremy Bentham. he influenced people to change their ideas and opinions about animals. By the end of the 1800's more people began to understand where Bentham's philosophies came from, and in the early 1900's many organizations began to develop. These organizations reached all over the nation spreading word about the protection of animals. Some of these groups include the ASPCA, ALF, ELF, Humane Society, and PETA. Many people made great efforts to be where we are today.
 * Historical Roots:**

Today there are both federal laws and states laws that are put in place for the protection of animals. Some of these laws and acts include the Animals Protection Act, Animal Welfare Act, the Improved Standards Laboratory Animals Act, and the Pet Act. For the future many of these acts will still remain, and more will probably come. The treatment of animals will continue to improve with the help of new and more strict laws. Hopefully in 20 years the organizations will continue to grow and develop. More laws will most likely be created which will help to decrease the amount of animal abuse, and improve the life of all animals and animals not just in America, but all around the world.
 * Present/Future:**


 * People Involved: **
 * 1) In the beginning to mid 1800's a man named __Jeremy Bentham__ realized that maybe animals should be treated better. He was one of the first people to speak out against the treatment of animals. Bentham applied the theory of utilitarianism to animals. He was important to the movement because he influenced other people to care more about the life of animals. One of these people was __Peter Singer__. Later in the 1800's Singer used Bentham's philosophy in order to create his own ideals. Singer is known for criticizing "human 'specieism' as no better than racism or sexism." __Henry Bergh__ was very important to to push for animal rights. He created the American Society for the prevention of Cruelty to Animals or the ASPCA in 1866. He was an important person to the movement because his organization provided the beginning steps to protecting animals. The ASPCA also expanded to create smaller branches of the organization in every major city of every state. In 1954 the Human Society of America was created by __Fred Myers__, __Helen Jones__, __Larry Andrews__, and __Marcia Glaser__. The Humane Society became very important because it provided veterinary services to people that could not afford to care for their animals. It was one of the first organizations that provided this benefit. By the 1970's many people began to change their opinions about animals, and by 1980 __Ingrid Newkirk__ and her co-worker created the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in 1980. When this organization was first developed it held small protest and campaigns . Now PETA has over 2 million supporters and members that are frequently supporting the cause to protect animals. The co-developer of PETA was __Alex Pacheco__. Both Newkirk and Pacheco were devoted to their work and devoted to supporting the cause. More recent people devoted to promoting animal rights include __Sarah McLachlan__, __Ellen DeGeneres__, and __Hayden Pannettiere__. Sarah Mclachlan works along side the ASPCA by advertising in commercials. Ellen DeGeneres spoke out about the food industries and how they handle animals, and in 2008 she was awarded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Founder's Award. Although she is somewhat young, Hayden Pannettiere was awarded Compassion in Action Award from PETA while confronting Japanese fishermen that were killing dolphins.
 * 2) Most people were all for animal rights but there were a few people and a few groups of people that disliked the idea. __Jim Inhofe__ is a United States Senator and he is seen criticizing PETA because they gave grants to the ALF and the ELF. These two groups have been labeled domestic terrorist by the FBI, so Inhofe sees PETA as a supporter of domestic terrorism. There are also two groups that are also against PETA; __mothers__ and __women__. PETA has created signs and posters saying "Mommy is a killer!". This message is aimed toward younger kids in order to try to get them to stop eating meat at a younger age. Some women are not fond of PETA because many campaigns that take place involve nudity or skim clothing. This bothers some women because they think it is too provocative, and inappropriate. A man named __Roger Scruton__ is totally against the idea of animal having rights. He is a philosopher that believes that "only humans have duties, so only humans have rights."

With women’s rights, women fought for equality. They were not always as equal to men as they are now, and they still aren't still completely equal. In the late 1800's and early 1900's, women weren’t seen as having comparable abilities. Hard work, money, and anything that required muscle was assumed to be done by the man of the household. The men were also very demanding and looked down upon the women. Women are always doing what they can in order to be more equal. Animals are similar to this because people are constantly fighting to improve the treatment of animals. Some people feel that animals are inferior to humans, and in some cases this may be true. For example when training a dog you should be superior, but in most other situations animals should be seen our equal if not our superior. In environmental issues, people fight to stop or limit the use of the world’s natural resources. Since there are multiple problems with Earth’s condition, some speak out to help protect it. Reasoning behind all these issues result from human activity. This connects with animal rights because activists are trying to stop the human use of animals. Humans use animals for scientific research, and this research can range from drugs to cosmetics.With the way that humans use and treat animals they can suffer from horrible lives and end up dead from human’s personal use just like our use for the environment. Since Native Americans don’t have the same beliefs and ways of life, they were discriminated against and treated with little respect. They now fight to preserve their tribes and protect their resources and rights. Native American Rights connect with animal rights because they are both treated as lesser individuals because they aren’t the majority. Even though animals can not stand up for themselves doesn’t mean that no one should. With Native Americans, they still fight to keep what belonged to them and what they feel is right.
 * Connections: **
 * 1) Women’s Rights:
 * 1) Environmental Issues:
 * 1) Native American Rights

**Questions for Timeline:** http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/41510/Animal-Rights-Timeline/
 * 1) Who was one of the first people to speak out against animal cruelty, and what philosophy did he use?
 * Jeremy Bentham, and utilitarianism.

2. What is Peter Singer known for?
 * Saying that "Human 'speciesism' is no better then racism or sexism."

3. Who created the ASPCA, and what does it stand for?
 * Henry Bergh, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals.

4. What is the Animals Protection Act?
 * Helped all animals not just household pets.

5. What is PETA, and who created it?
 * People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and Ingrid Newkirk and co-creator Alex Pacheco.

6. Who is Jim Inhofe?
 * He believes that PETA is a supporter of domestic terrorism.


 * Works Cited:**

"Animal Rights." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Oct. 2012. Web. 10 May 2012. .

"Animal Welfare Act of 1966." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Aug. 2012. Web. 10 May 2012. .

"Celebrity Animal Rights Activism: Celebrities Seek to End Inhumane Treatment of Animals." //Yahoo! Contributor Network//. Yahoo!, 31 Mar. 2010. Web. 10 May 2012. .

David, Michael,, David,, and Caroline. "Animal Rights." //ThinkQuest//. Oracle Foundation. Web. 10 May 2012. .

"History." //ASPCA//. Web. 10 May 2012. <http://www.aspca.org/about-us/history.aspx>.

"Humane Society of the United States." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Oct. 2012. Web. 10 May 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humane_Society_of_the_United_States>.

"People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Sept. 2012. Web. 10 May 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People_for_the_Ethical_Treatment_of_Animals>.