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Owing to its immigration legacy, ethnically and culturally, the United States of America
is one of the world¡¦s most diverse and tolerant nations
In the modern world, it has long been a political and economic superpower
The start of many trends and forward thinking initiatives has also been attributed to the
open minded nation in the last 100 years, US society has also consciously and compassionately
progressed in animal welfare and the preference for the healthier, plant-based diet
It
is interesting to note that prior to the industrial era that escalated during the 20th century,
meat eating in the United States was not at all common before the 1900s
Indeed, most people living in the US before this age ate very little animal flesh and
subsisted on a primarily plant-based diet Today, we cordially invite you to join us
on an inspiring and informative exploration into the lesser known but venerable history
of this great united nation There actually was a distinct vegetarian movement
in the United States that was fairly popular and fairly well recognized from the 1830s
onwards Mr. Adam Shprintzen, Ph.D. candidate in the
Department of History at Loyola University of Chicago, USA, will be our guide today in
the first of a 3-part program on Our Noble Lineage
A vegetarian himself, Mr. Shprintzen became interested in history of vegetarianism in
America while attending university He quickly realized it is an often neglected
cornerstone of 19th century America, and delved deeper into its research as part of his higher
studies There have certainly been individuals who
practiced a vegetarian diet in the United States going back to the earliest settlers,
even going back further to the Native Americans There is strong evidence to suggest that the
pilgrims arriving at Plymouth Harbor on November 11, 1620 probably dined on a vegan meal of
mainly beans and rice offered by the Wampanoag Native Americans
Historians note that the tradition of eating turkey in remembrance of the first Thanksgiving
is based on unfounded myths James Trager, author of the ¡§Food Encyclopedia,¡¨
relates that turkey was actually not present at the pilgrims¡¦ first Thanksgiving dinner
There was, however, a variety of Wampanoag delicacies, including cornmeal and nuts, accompanied
by gooseberries, strawberries, plums, cherries, cranberries, and possibly pumpkin and squash
¡V Nature¡¦s gifts for the autumn harvest In fact, Thanksgiving was only declared a
national holiday starting in 1863 to promote national unity
Incidentally, White House tradition on this day is to symbolically set a turkey free
The famed supporter of American independence and author Thomas Paine wrote in his 1791
work ¡§Age of Reason¡¨ The moral duty of man consists of imitating
the moral goodness and beneficence of God manifested in the creation towards all His
creatures Everything of persecution and revenge between
human and human, and everything of cruelty to animals, is a violation of moral duty¡¨
This United States was and is a courageous nation founded on faith
Its official motto of ¡§In God We Trust¡¨ tells a lot about this country¡¦s lineage
and quest for noble ideals In 1817, the Bible Christian Church, a group
of migrants coming from Liverpool in England came to the shores of the United States and
settled in Philadelphia They not only abstained from meat and other
animal products, they¡¦re preaching this and trying to reach out to other people to
follow a similar diet Bible Christian Church¡¦s views on vegetarianism
spread across the Atlantic Ocean and reached the eastern shores of the United States, thanks
to Reverend William Metcalfe and Reverend James Clark
In 1817, together with 39 other members of the Bible Christian Church, Reverend William
Metcalfe and his wife journeyed to the United States
There they established a stateside arm of the church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
This contributed to the central formation of an American vegetarian movement
Years later, Reverend James Clark went on to establish the International Vegetarian
Union to provide a supportive basis for vegetarians, as well as creating awareness for those interested
in the healthier, kinder way to live So, what role has religion played in the movement
from that time forward? Certainly throughout the 19th century it was
a fundamentally important factor within the growth of vegetarianism in the United States
Again, starting with this Bible Christian Church, which believed that the Old Testament
said that a vegetarian diet was fundamental to living a good moral life
John Gilheany, author of ¡§Familiar Strangers: The Church and the Vegetarian Movement in
Britain (1809-2009)¡¨ reminds us of the virtues of Christianity, upon which the Bible
Christian Church was founded: If you look at basic core Christian tenets
of love, mercy, peace, justice ¡V and it¡¦s quite a long list really ¡V it¡¦s quite
a basic one in terms of that you find these aspirations in any religion
Vegetarianism follows on from most of them And you could talk about peace in particular
as something that¡¦s quite absent evidently so in slaughterhouses
Very difficult to reconcile with stabbing animals in the throat, which is basically
what it amounts to in real life if you remove all the euphemisms and various other softening
terms that disguise what really happens Reverend William Metcalfe was determined to
share the truth He spoke about the desolation wrought in the
soul by the sin of flesh-eating that is more fearful than any outward ghastliness, but
which cannot be easily understood because of instituted eating habits
Hence, he reminded, a constant devotion was needed by those who were enlightened in the
principles of vegetarianism to awaken the public to this spiritual reality
Reverend Metcalfe was very diligent in sowing the vegetarian seeds in the new country
The Bible Christian Church in Philadelphia became synonymous as a vegetarian institution
He also tried his best to reach out to the public through the media
He wrote articles on vegetarianism for widely circulated newspapers like the Philadelphia
Gazette, the Saturday Evening Post, in addition to other publications
He was open to talk with everyone who showed even slight interest in the subject
As the Bible Christians believed that vegetarianism was God¡¦s law and that Jesus also subsisted
on a plant-based diet, Reverend Metcalfe preached that it was a misinterpretation of the Bible
that led to the belief that Jesus fed fish to people
Reverend Metcalfe explained that the word for ¡§fish¡¨ used in the Gospels did not
translate as a marine species, but rather, meant animal-free relishes that were served
with bread Reverend Metcalfe¡¦s compassion for animals
also caught the attention of Dr. Sylvester Graham, creator of the Graham cracker, and
John Harvey Kellogg, co-creator of cornflakes cereal, both of whom played key roles in the
founding of the American vegetarian movement When we return after this brief message, we
will hear more about the roles of Dr. Sylvester Graham and John Harvey Kellogg in starting
the United States¡¦ first Vegetarian Society You are watching Our Noble Lineage on Supreme
Master Television