Revolutionary Peace: How Philadelphia Launched the U.S. Vegetarian and Vegan Movement by Vance Lehmkuhl explores the city’s role in the birth and growth of vegetarianism in the United States, writes David Owen Bell for Hidden City.
“Philadelphia is known for its role in the American Revolutionary War, but what this book tries to bring to light is its important role in an ongoing shift－what we might call Revolutionary Peace,” said the author.
The book is filled with fascinating details, complemented by the attention-grabbing illustrations done by Lehmkuhl. It profiles nearly two dozen individuals who practiced and promoted vegetarian diets in Philadelphia, including founding father Ben Franklin, who championed the benefits of ‘tau-fu,’ the vegetarian co-founder of the Pennsylvania SPCA, and the crusader who inspired the creation of the Graham cracker.
Lehmkuhl highlights that Philadelphia is the starting point in the United States for animal advocacy. The city was also the driving force behind vegetarianism in the nation for nearly the entire duration of the 19th century.
“It’s not random: the originating group were religious dissidents, and Philadelphia’s establishment as a community of enlightenment and religious freedom attracted them,” he added.
Read more about the book and the key role that Philadelphia played in vegetarianism as we know it today in Hidden City.
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