![New York Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children Headquarters](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/New_York_Society_for_Prevention_of_Cruelty_to_Children_Headquarters.png)
The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was founded in 1874 (and incorporated in 1875). It is the world's first
child protective agency. It is sometimes called the Gerry Society
after one of its co-founders,
Elbridge Thomas Gerry
Elbridge Thomas Gerry (December 25, 1837 – February 18, 1927), usually called "Commodore" Gerry due to the office he held with the New York Yacht Club from 1886 to 1892, was an American lawyer and reformer who was the grandson of U.S. Vice P ...
. It is commonly seen as having played a key role in the development of children's rights and child protective services in the
English-speaking world
Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the '' Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest languag ...
. Today it offers support and advocacy for high-risk and abused children,
parental skills classes, and professional training in the identification and reporting of
child abuse
Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...
and
neglect
In the context of caregiving, neglect is a form of abuse where the perpetrator, who is responsible for caring for someone who is unable to care for themselves, fails to do so. It can be a result of carelessness, indifference, or unwillingness and ...
.
Origins
In 1866
Henry Bergh
Henry Bergh (August 29, 1813 – March 12, 1888) founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in April, 1866, three days after the first effective legislation against animal cruelty in the United States was passed ...
had founded the
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing animal cruelty. Based in New York City since its inception in 1866, the organization's mission is "to provide effective mea ...
, partly in response to the creation in Great Britain of the
RSPCA
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest an ...
some years earlier. In 1874 he and other officers of the society were approached by a church worker named
Etta Angell Wheeler regarding the mistreatment of a child called
Mary Ellen McCormack
Mary Ellen Wilson (March 1864 – October 30, 1956) also called Mary Ellen McCormack was an American whose case of child abuse led to the creation of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. At the age of eight, she was se ...
, who was being beaten daily by her foster mother.
Wheeler had approached several others before appealing to an animal charity.
Bergh swiftly managed to secure custody of the child. After the trial and conviction in April 1874 of the foster mother for
assault
An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...
and
battery
Battery most often refers to:
* Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power
* Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact
Battery may also refer to:
Energy source
*Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
, Etta Wheeler is said to have approached Bergh and asked him why there should not be a society to protect children just as there was one to prevent cruelty to animals. He promised to create one.
Bergh and his ASPCA legal counsel
Elbridge Thomas Gerry
Elbridge Thomas Gerry (December 25, 1837 – February 18, 1927), usually called "Commodore" Gerry due to the office he held with the New York Yacht Club from 1886 to 1892, was an American lawyer and reformer who was the grandson of U.S. Vice P ...
approached the
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
John D. Wright to gain support for the creation of a child protection society. On December 15, 1874, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was formed. According to Gerry, the Society's purpose was:
... To rescue little children from the cruelty and demoralization which neglect, abandonment and improper treatment engender; to aid by all lawful means in the enforcement of the laws intended for their protection and benefit; to secure by like means the prompt conviction and punishment of all persons violating such laws and especially such persons as cruelly ill treat and shamefully neglect such little children of whom they claim the care, custody or control.
On April 27, 1875, it was
incorporated as the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, with Wright as president and Bergh and Gerry as vice-presidents.
Three other members of the ASPCA board were recruited to the board of the NYSPCC, with Wright subsequently attracting other wealthy benefactors including
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...
.
After Wright's death in 1879, Gerry became president, retiring in 1901, but remaining legal advisor until his death in 1927. Bergh went on to found the
Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC) is a non-governmental charitable organization with offices in Boston and throughout Massachusetts which seeks to strengthen families and prevent child abuse through essenti ...
in 1878, with other similar organisations appearing across the United States.
Initial impact
![(King1893NYC) pg431 THE NEW-YORK SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO CHILDREN, FOURTH AVENUE AND 23D STREET](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/%28King1893NYC%29_pg431_THE_NEW-YORK_SOCIETY_FOR_THE_PREVENTION_OF_CRUELTY_TO_CHILDREN%2C_FOURTH_AVENUE_AND_23D_STREET.jpg)
Following its inception, the Society quickly became an integral part of the New York legal system, acting as representatives of the State and City in child abuse court cases, and with a hotline from the Society to the police. According to one analysis, the Society effectively brought state law "into line with its
wnunderstanding of childhood".
The organisation itself claims that "the entire body of modern
nited States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
child protective legislation is rooted in laws advocated by the NYSPCC".
This includes:
* acts requiring custodians to provide food, clothing, medical care and supervision, prohibiting child endangerment and regulating child employment (1876);
* acts prohibiting the sale of intoxicants
A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, psychoactive agent or psychotropic drug is a chemical substance, that changes functions of the nervous system, and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition or behavior.
Th ...
to minors and mandating their separation from adults when arrested (1877);
* acts providing juvenile parole
Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
for those under 16, prohibiting children in saloons unless accompanied by a parent or guardian and prohibiting gun dealers from selling or giving weapons to minors (1884);
* acts prohibiting the employment of children in sweatshops
A sweatshop or sweat factory is a crowded workplace with very poor, socially unacceptable or illegal working conditions. Some illegal working conditions include poor ventilation, little to no breaks, inadequate work space, insufficient lighting, o ...
and factories and limiting child employment to 60 hours a week (1886);
* acts regulating obscene material with respect to children (1887) and providing protections for messenger and telegraph boys (1888);
* acts prohibiting the sale of tobacco to minors and prohibiting them from living in drug dens and houses of prostitution (1889).
The founding of the NYSPCC prompted the rapid formation of other societies around the United States. By 1880 there were 37 societies; 162 in 1901, and by 1910 there were 250 societies in operation.
One impact of the NYSPCC's activities was an increase in the number of men in the legal system being prosecuted for sexual crimes against children; the Society campaigned successfully for a reassessment of the
sexuality of children and their difference to adult women.
It has been argued, however, that these initial years were not a campaign for
children's rights
Children's rights are a subset of human rights with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to minors. , but partly motivated by a desire to control the
working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
es and instill conservative values. Bergh himself spoke in favor of
flogging
Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed on ...
children as a form of
discipline
Discipline refers to rule following behavior, to regulate, order, control and authority. It may also refer to punishment. Discipline is used to create habits, routines, and automatic mechanisms such as blind obedience. It may be inflicted on ot ...
at the first meeting of the NYSPCC.
However it is certain that the NYSPCC helped to establish a more humanitarian definition of child cruelty.
A notable feature of the NYSPCC's initial activities was Gerry's view that the proper role of the Society was as a law enforcement agency rather than a provider of social services,
with its main focus on child rescue.
This position arguably made the society seem less progressive in later years as other organisations moved away from legal enforcement towards family support and cruelty prevention rather than prosecution.
In particular, the
and
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
SPCCs criticised an approach which made "no attempt to discover the cause of the conditions which make action by the society necessary, and therefore no endeavor to prevent a recurrence of these conditions".
From Gerrymen to juvenile facilities
In the late 1870s Gerry persuaded the police department to allow Society agents (nicknamed "Gerrymen") to keep children away from "immoral" activities such as the
theater
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...
,
amusement park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
s,
penny arcade
''Penny Arcade'' is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website ''loonygames.com''. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have establish ...
s and poor and immigrant neighborhoods.
Gerry was keen to enforce child labor laws regarding performance. Moving beyond street theater and acrobatics, he turned to juvenile theater, which caused controversy with those involved in the theater. Anti-Gerry campaign groups formed, and the mayor of New York was persuaded to limit Gerry's power and set out proper regulation of child stage performers.
In 1921, the Society leased the former House of Mercy at the upper end of Manhattan island, which
Harriet Starr Cannon had organized beginning in 1863, and to which courts had previously sentenced abandoned and wayward girls and women, while it built its own facility nearby (on Fifth Avenue between 105th and 106th streets) to house children previously either detained in stationhouses awaiting judicial action or jailed with adult prisoners.
[http://myinwood.net>/house-of-mercy/]
Today
The NYSPCC runs several programs, including parenting skills, trauma recovery for abused children, trauma recovery for child welfare officers dealing with harrowing cases, professional training in identifying and reporting abuse and neglect, and visitation programs allowing children to visit their non-custodial parents in safe environments.
While acting pursuant to their duties, individuals performing investigatory tasks for the NYSPCC hold
New York State peace officer status. This means that these individuals can perform
law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term en ...
-based investigations, make arrests, carry firearms (if so authorized by the NYSPCC and properly trained according to New York State law enforcement standards), and use physical and/or deadly force.
References
External links
New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
{{Authority control
Organizations established in 1874
Charities based in New York (state)
Cruelty
Children's charities based in the United States
1874 establishments in New York (state)