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HENRY BERGH:
A True American Leader.
Amanda N Llerena
lleran@farmingdale.edu
Llerena 1
Amanda Llerena
Professor Rachlin
BUS 109
4 November 2017
position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group. The website also
defines the word leader as a person or thing that leads. However, I believe true leadership goes
much deeper than the black and white definition. The person I chose to write about was Henry
Bergh, the founder of the first humane society in North America: the American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, also known as ASPCA. It was found in 1866, and currently in
A leader doesnt always mean somebody who is trying to do good, for example, Adolf
Hitler. A worthy inspirational leader should obtain these important characteristics: conviction,
competence, direction, and assertiveness. However, most importantly they should hold integrity,
empathy, humility, and of course, passion. I wanted to do my research on somebody who not
only changed our world for the better, but the defenseless as well. Bergh was able to accomplish
this when he started ASPCA on April 10th, 1866 changing America forever.
Henry Bergh was a philanthropist and diplomat. According to Tammy Kiter, he was born
in 1813 and raised in the Lower East Side of New York. His father, Christian Bergh, left a
substantial fortune to his son when he died. Because of his inheritance, Bergh could stop
working, live very comfortable, and travel the world with his wife. Bergh was also very involved
with politics; mentioned in the article written by Stephen Zawistowskis, in 1863 Abraham
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Lincoln appointed him to the United States Embassy in Russia, serving as a secretary of the
delegation. What Bergh didnt know was that this trip was going to be a trip that would change
the way Americans viewed animals forever. Its important to remember that back in the 1800s,
animals were just viewed as property to most people. It was one night in Russia that Bergh was a
witness to the heinous act: the beat down of a defenseless horse by a Russian. This was
something that was normal back then, but Bergh didnt see it like that any longer. He felt
empathy for this horse, resulting in him to bravely dismount from his own carriage and
intervene, saving that horses life. This was the moment that Bergh believed he could have a
positive influence on this world. After this event, Bergh resigned from his position in Russia to
go back to America because he believed it was his calling to work on behalf of these mute
servants of mankind. On his way back, he stopped in England to meet the President of the
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). He did this to become more
competent in what he was going to address when he came back to the states and learn how the
RSPCA worked.
On February 8th, 1866, almost immediately after his return, Henry Bergh took an
independent stand for the voiceless at the Clinton Hall. According to history.com, Berghs
speech closed with the following.... This is a matter purely of conscience; it has no perplexing
side issues. Politics has no more to do with it than astronomy. No, it is a moral question in all its
aspects. This closing, along with multiple horrific stories he had been a witness to, is what
inspired many dignitaries to sign his Declaration of the Rights of Animals. Not long after, on
April 10th, 1866, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals came to
existence. And just nine days after that, America passed its first anti-cruelty law, launching the
The ASPCA was something that Henry was passionate about. He was very proactive in
his organization because he wanted to change the world and you cant change the world if you sit
on the side lines. Henry Bergh took hands on action in his work, Kiter states in her article how
Henry was known to physically and verbally intervene when he saw something relating to animal
abuse. Not only did he put himself in danger, he also showed humility by using his own inherited
resources to support the ASPCA. He gained the support of many Americans by taking a stand,
and not only being assertive in the change he wanted to see but informational about it as well.
Bergh also had support by notable figures like the writers, Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo
Emerson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. To many, Henry Bergh was an astounding hero,
somebody who was changing this world for the better. Theres a popular saying that what goes
up, must come down. Metaphorically, this was the case with ASPCA, specifically Henry Bergh.
He quickly became known as the great meddler to those whose businesses he interfered
because of his noble movement. Did this stop him? Absolutely not! He recognized the abuse he
received, but instead of fighting back and losing focus, he decided to forget about himself
completely. He disconnected the ridicule, the death threats, and the abuse resulting of his mission
and never lost focus on what mattered or his real goal in life: to change the perception of others
The snowball effect happened relatively quickly. After the finding of the ASPCA,
multiple laws came into existence shortly after, spreading to other states as well. The first animal
ambulance was invented a year later in 1867 and by 1870 there were drinking fountains in public
areas for animals as well, according to Kiter. When ASPCA began, the start of a second SPCA
formed in Buffalo the next year, following another in Philadelphia, and then Boston a year after
that. Bergh believed that since humans relied so much on animals, that animals deserve
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acknowledgement of their rights for humane treatment. It started with horses, and now look at
the ASPCA over a century later. The voice for the defenseless wasnt only for animals because
by the year 1874, Bergh influenced activists to find the New York Society for the Prevent of
Cruelty to Children (NYSPCC), where he also served as their first vice president.
Henry Bergh was only the beginning, and the ASPCA is his legacy. He was a model for
others to start humane organizations and by the year 1888 (the year Bergh passed), 37 out of the
38 then states had passed anti-cruelty laws. Though he couldnt see that last state pass their law,
Im sure he knows he accomplished his goal and the incredible difference he has made in this
planet today. I chose Henry Bergh as a historical leader because I believe he made the biggest
difference of all: helping the helpless. He showed constant integrity, empathy, humility, passion;
as well as conviction, competence, direction, and assertiveness everything that makes great
leadership. Im an activist myself when it comes to saving/recusing animals, and my life goal is
to start a sanctuary of my own. Everybody knows about the ASPCA, but I never knew about
Henry Bergh, I dont believe most people do, and its ashamed. After doing an abundance of
research on him, he deserves more recognition than given. The ASPCA was the first organization
that involved the protection of animals and because of him, thousands of SPCAs exist today.
Henry Bergh, I thank you, you are not only a true American leader, you are a hero.
Fig 1. Above you can see a brief timeline of the ASPCA since the finding in 1867. Anything after
Work Cited
April 10, 1866: ASPCA is Founded. History. A&E Networks, 2009. Web. 02 Nov 2017
Eschner, Kat. The ASPCAs Founder Was Known as the The Great Meddler.
Gagnon02. History of the ASPCA. Timetoast. Np, Nd. Web. 01 Nov 2017.
Kiter, Tammy. Henry Bergh: Angel in Top Hat or the Great Meddler? Blog.NYhistory. Edward
Zawistowski, Stephen. Bergh, Henry. Learningtogive.. Praeger Publishers, 2007. Web. 01 Nov
2017.