History of Animal Rights

http://www.animalrightshistory.org/timeline-victorian/wil-howard-williams.htm

This is a wonderful resource giving many examples of the early literature/materials that tells about the existence of compassionate humans who were a big part of the forming years of the Animal Rights Movement.
At a time where the general belief was, that animals lacked intelligence and since they weren’t intelligent enough to comprehend/process physical or emotional pain, that they would not be suffering when subjected to ranging from light to extreme levels of physical and emotional pain.
To many people in the world, ‘Humanity, Justice and Kindness to Animals’ were ideas, much too foreign to even give a thought to.
Despite the fact that this belief has sadly still not changed in the minds of some of todays people, many people accept that Animal Rights and Human Rights are no different than the other.