Publication of Animal Liberation introduced a concept of animal rights
WASHINGTON, D.C., WASHINGTON, D.C. / ACCESS Newswire / September 29, 2025 / Established in 2007 by the United Nations General Assembly, October 2nd is celebrated each year as International Day of Non-Violence. This year, it also marks the golden anniversary of the U.S. Animal Rights Movement, the ultimate celebration of non-violence.
March for the Animals (1990) shown in Washington, DC added to the historic rise of animal rights in the U.S.
Two important events marked the launch of the U.S. animal rights movement in 1975. Australian philosopher Peter Singer's groundbreaking book Animal Liberation introduced a concept of animal rights to American audiences, while the 1975 World Vegetarian Congress in Orono, Maine inspired dozens of local groups and scores of books on the subject.
These two events ignited a wave of activism that reshaped our nation's relationship with animals. Visionary leaders and countless grassroots advocates carried forward a simple but powerful principle: animals are not ours to exploit for food, fashion, research, or entertainment.
Fifty years later, the movement grew into a global force for non-violence, with millions opposing the exploitation and killing of animals for food and speaking out for those who cannot speak for themselves.
National animal protection organizations in existence before 1975, like the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane Society of the United States, merely sought to protect animals from "unnecessary" suffering. None advocated for the right of animals to live free of all human exploitation.
Publication of Animal Liberation introduced a concept of animal rights and prompted a number of individuals to initiate campaigns against cruel experiments on animals, leading eventually, to the formation of national animal rights organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA).
Before the 1975 World Vegetarian Congress, vegetarian groups existed only in a handful of major cities or within the Seventh Day Adventist community. The Congress sparked the formation of more than 60 local vegetarian societies, with thousands of members and publication of a score of books.
The landmark July 1981 Action For Life conference in Allentown Pennsylvania brought the animal rights ideology and the vegetarian movement's troops together to form the modern US animal rights movement, dedicated to ending the use of animals for food, fashion, research, and entertainment.
About Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM):
FARM is a national nonprofit organization working to end the use of animals for food through public education, grassroots activism, and promoting a vegan lifestyle. FARM has spearheaded landmark campaigns such as MeatOut, World Day for Farmed Animals, and Compassionate Holidays, reaching millions of people each year with a message of compassion and justice.
To arrange an interview with Dr. Alex Hershaft, a Holocaust survivor, whose life was transformed by the 1975 Congress, leading to his arranging the 1981 Action for Life conference, please email eric@farmusa.org or call 607-227-4014.
To view a 7-minute documentary, please visit https://tinyurl.com/fivedecadespress.
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Contact Information
Eric Lindstrom
Executive Director
eric@farmusa.org
607-227-4014
Related Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trQG0tylTxo
SOURCE: Farm Animal Rights Movement
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/education/u.s.-animal-rights-movement-celebrates-golden-anniversary-1078948
