Henry Berg's Anti-Curelty Society

At the time, children were considered the chattel of their parents or guardians. Berg and an ASPCA lawyer rescued a girl who was being horribly abused by her foster mother. Because there were no laws to protect children in 1874, they argued that the child was an animal entitled to protection under animal cruelty laws. Similar societies spread to other states starting in Massachusetts long before Berg's funeral. He died on March 12, 1888 of bronchitis and enlarged heart.