Scope and Content Note
The papers of Henry Spira (1927-1998) span the years 1906 to 2002, with the bulk of the material dating between 1974 and 1998. The papers are organized into the following series: Personal File, Correspondence, Political File, Animal Rights International, Laboratory Animal Welfare, Farm Animal Welfare, Animal Welfare Organizations, Alphabetical File, Digital Files, Restricted, and Oversize.
The collection primarily focuses on Spira’s work as an activist in the animal welfare movement and as the founder and coordinator of Animal Rights International from 1974 until his death in 1998. The papers chronicle Spira’s activities and philosophies and document the strategies he employed to advance the animal welfare agenda. Represented to a lesser extent are materials reflecting Spira’s political activism as a supporter of the Socialist Workers Party and member of the National Maritime Union of America in the years before he became involved in the animal welfare movement. Evidence of Spira’s focus on the significant role of the individual and "power of one" is found throughout the collection and marks an important aspect of his personal philosophy. There is little documentation of Spira’s life before he emigrated from Europe.
Many of the file groupings and folder titles were created and maintained by Spira. As a result, the collection is highly interconnected with related topical files found in multiple locations within and across series. Cross references between related topics with differing folder titles were noted where possible.
The Personal File comprises documentation of Spira’s life and work between the years 1937 and 2000. This series includes an extensive collection of Spira’s writings and notes, material relating to speaking engagements, his education, and teaching career at Haaren High School in New York City. Copies of documents retrieved through Freedom of Information Act requests detail federal investigations of Spira in the 1950s and 1960s as a result of his socialist political views. Material regarding Spira’s service in the United States Army and United States Merchant Marines is documented in this series to a minimal extent.
The Correspondence series primarily includes Spira's outgoing letters and is organized into chronological and subject groupings. It spans the period 1950 to 1998, with the bulk of the correspondence concentrated between 1979 and 1998, when Spira was most focused on the animal welfare movement. This series includes both personal and professional correspondence, though given the grassroots nature of the animal welfare movement and the close collaboration that existed among those involved, the line dividing this distinction is often blurred.
The Political File comprises material relating to Spira’s activism outside of the animal welfare movement, from 1906 to 1998. The bulk of the material dates between 1955 and 1972. The files in this series frequently reflect Spira’s embrace of radical political views, specifically the political philosophy of Leon Trotsky and ideals of the Socialist Workers Party. A large portion of the series documents Spira’s involvement in the National Maritime Union of America, especially as editor of The Call for Union Democracy. Other materials include articles Spira wrote for the Socialist Workers Party newspaper the Militant, as well as several political reference and research pamphlets, tracts, and song books.
The Animal Rights International series pertains to the operations and administrative functions of Animal Rights International (ARI), the non-profit animal welfare organization established by Spira in 1974 and granted tax exempt status in 1985. Spira founded the organization with the goal of reducing institutional cruelty to animals through incremental change. Spira and ARI intentionally avoided the "all or nothing" approach to improving animal welfare made popular by many other organizations operating around the same time. Instead, Spira and ARI pursued a strategy of gradual, but measurable change and relied on insight from networks of individuals and organizations representing corporate, academic, and regulatory sectors. Primarily operated by Spira alone, the bulk of this series reflects Spira’s work as ARI's coordinator and includes notes, annual reports, strategic planning documents, and calendars. The material ranges from 1976 through Spira's death in 1998 and terminates in 2002. Peter Singer served as president of the organization in the years beyond Spira's death.
The Laboratory Animal Welfare file documents Spira’s and Animal Rights International’s strategies to encourage multinational corporations, state and national institutions, and the cosmetics industry to work towards eliminating unnecessary testing on animals and funding research seeking alternatives to in vivo testing. The documents range over the period between 1956 to 1998, with the bulk concentrated between 1974 and 1989. Paramount among these files are those documenting the many campaigns and coalitions Spira organized under the auspices of Animal Rights International. The campaign against Revlon and the Draize test is heavily documented, as is the Coalition to Abolish the LD50 and Animal Rights International’s first endeavor, the campaign against the American Museum of Natural History's use of cats in research experiments.
The Farm Animal Welfare series reflects Spira’s activities in farm animal welfare. The material dates from 1973 to 1998, with the bulk focusing on the years between 1982 and 1998, when Spira began shifting his focus from the treatment of laboratory animals to that of farm animals. The series documents Spira’s conviction that large corporations evaluate their practices in order to "replace" the use of food animals, "reduce" the number of animals used, or "refine" practices to minimize the pain and suffering experienced by food animals. Spira and others referred to this tactic as the “three r’s,” and the strategy is evidenced throughout the campaigns represented in this series targeting major food animal industry corporations. The campaign against Perdue Farms, which Spira targeted as a means to raise public consciousness about modern factory farming practices, represents the most heavily documented campaign in the series.
The Animal Welfare Organizations file documents the activities, functions, fundraising campaigns, and publications of a variety of animal welfare organizations operating in the United States, Europe, and Australia during the same years as Animal Rights International. The series spans the years 1960 to 1998, with the bulk of material concentrated between 1974 and 1996. In some cases, correspondence between Spira and organization leaders is included, providing evidence of Spira’s efforts to collaborate and build coalitions between organizations and individuals active in the animal welfare community.
The Alphabetical File holds a wide range of files regarding organizations, individuals, magazines and newspapers, and a variety of topics relating to animal welfare issues, other political and environmental issues, and health. The material ranges from 1916 to 1998, with the majority of the files dating between 1980 and 1996.
The Digital Files series consists of digital files stored on floppy disks found in the collection and includes word and text files created by Spira between 1985 and 1993. Outgoing correspondence represents the majority of the files, but also included are notes, contact listings, reports documenting activities and achievements of Animal Rights International, and many of Spira's articles.