Religion..the bane of freedom.

Another book besides the Bible found in most 19th century American and British homes was Anna Sewell's Black Beauty.

Before the book, domestic animals like horses were routinely worked to death, seldom named, disposable. Cruel and ignorant people could own and work these animals with no consequences. Kind of how factory farm animals are treated and thought about today.

By creating a horse character that tells its side of the story, Anna Sewell created a new idea..that animals like horses have feelings and rights also, and can be treated like beloved pets. Laws began to be passed to protect them as public sentiment changed.

Amazes me that so may Americans demand that we be identified as a Christian nation and decorate our country with Judeo-Christian artifacts, yet deplore societies that require that same behavior of the dominant religions of their societies. Yet so many early immigrants came to this land to escape from religious oppression. To boot, the vast majority of self-proclaimed "Christians: reject the teachings of that great guy whom people started worshiping ad a god!