The Quaker City is responsible for the birth and growth of vegetarianism in the United States, according to Vance Lehmkuhl, author of Revolutionary Peace: How Philadelphia Launched the U.S. Vegetarian and Vegan Movement. “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.”

Packed with interesting details and complemented with winsome illustrations by the author, Revolutionary Peace profiles more than 20 people who practiced and promoted meatless diets, including the founding father who touted the benefits of “tau-fu,” the vegetarian who co-founded the Pennsylvania SPCA, and the crusader who inspired the Graham cracker.

“There’s no dispute that Philly is the starting point for U.S. animal advocacy, as well as the driving force behind U.S. vegetarianism for almost the whole 19th century,” said Lehmkuhl. “It’s not random: the originating group were religious dissidents, and Philadelphia’s establishment as a community of enlightenment and religious freedom attracted them.”

Before there was a movement, individual 18th century Philadelphians of note include Ben Franklin, an on-and-off vegetarian. In 1770, while in London, he sent his friend John Bartram rhubarb seeds, dry peas for making soup, and “Chinese garavances” (soybeans) with instructions on how to use them to make a “cheese” called “tau-fu.” Benjamin Lay and Anthony Benezet were influential abolitionists who came to oppose exploitation of animals. “It was his linking humans’ oppression with their oppression of animals that made Lay unique for his time,” wrote Lehmkuhl.

A Movement is Born

Revolutionary Peace traces the start of the vegetarian movement in the United States to the 1817 arrival in Philadelphia of members of a religious sect known as the Bible Christians. Led by Reverend William Metcalfe, with active support from his wife Susannah, the group believed that humans were not meant to eat animals. “At first, Metcalfe and his Philly congregation struggled,” says Lehmkuhl. “Their views on animals, and against eating them, were largely unwelcome. They were hissed at as ‘heretics’ in the street.” The congregation eventually would grow and become able to afford its own church building on North 3rd Street.

Meanwhile, Sylvester Graham was promoting a diet that banned meat, alcohol, butter, cheese, sugar, tea, coffee, all drugs, and most importantly, white bread because it was stripped of nutrients. He called for people to make their own bread, using coarsely ground, unsifted whole wheat flour. The flour became know as Graham flour, the philosophy Grahamism, and its adherents Grahamites. “Grahamite boarding houses were established in Philadelphia and other cities. Here people could eat meat-free, drink alcohol-free, and socialize with like-minded people.” Lehmkuhl notes that before Graham and before the word ”vegetarianism” was coined in the 1840s, vegetarians were referred to as Pythagoreans.

In 1850, Metcalfe, Graham, William Alcott, and others established the American Vegetarian Society and held their first convention in Philadelphia. Describing the “vegetarian feast” that closed the proceedings, the September 13, 1850 edition of the Public Ledger noted “upwards of 30 cooked varieties of food, [including] potatoes, bread, and savory dishes of various kinds.” In addition to serving as secretary, Metcalfe edited and published the Society’s magazine, the American Vegetarian and Health Journal.

With the deaths of Graham in 1851 and Metcalfe in 1862, the movement struggled. “The death blow to early-19th-century vegetarianism came in the form of the Civil War,” said Lehmkuhl. “Many vegetarians were torn between pacifism and abolitionist warfare. Grahamism, the more severe form of vegetarianism, petered out, and Graham began to be remembered only for his flour.”

Renewal

Lehmkuhl credits Henry S. Clubb with reviving the vegetarian movement in the United States. A strict pacifist, Clubb enlisted in the Union Army at the start of the Civil War, but refused to carry a weapon. He eventually moved to Philadelphia, became leader of the Bible Christians in 1877, launched the Vegetarian Society of America and its Philadelphia chapter, and published the vegetarian magazine Food, Home, and Garden.

The Philadelphia Times profiled Clubb in October 1895. “As an example of what a vegetable diet will do for a man, Mr. Clubb stands a hale and hearty argument. Although fast approaching the allotted age of three score years and ten, he is still bright-eyed and erect. His hair, although gray, is luxuriant, and his cheeks have a rosy glow indicative of health. He is a brilliant conversationalist, and is at his best when advancing some argument in favor of a vegetable regiment.”

Lehmkuhl notes that Clubb persevered well into the 20th century. “It was only after his death in 1921 at age 94 that the American Bible Christians finally dissolved, meeting occasionally in each other’s homes, and then not at all.”

Credit for the most enduring contributions to animal welfare goes to Caroline Earle White. A vegetarian, she co-founded the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA). When the male-dominated leadership limited her role, she created the Women’s Branch of the PSPCA, currently operating in Bensalem as the Women’s Animal Center. In 1883, she established what would become the American Anti-Vivisection Society in Philadelphia. The organization remains active from its headquarters on Old York Road in Jenkintown.

“Working with activists such as Mary F. Lovell, Annie Lowry, and Dr. Wilson Cary Swann, she led the way for the installation of [water] fountains throughout Philadelphia.” The fountains provided a basin of fresh water for people, horses, and other animals. Lehmkuhl reports that “many of the fountains remain around the city, though most do not now have running water. One that does, outside of wintertime, is at the [south end] of Washington Square.”

Evolution

Mid-19th century vegetarians who mainly viewed their cause as a moral or social reform issue often identified as pacifists and abolitionists as well. In the early 1900s, more adherents were emphasizing personal health, and with the introduction of the concept of “veganism” in the mid-20th century, avoiding all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty became an important motivation. By the turn of the 21st century, awareness of the role of industrial animal agriculture in the climate crisis underscored the environmental benefits of veganism, along with human health and animal welfare concerns.

Revolutionary Peace goes on to recount how the vegan movement emerged and continues to thrive in Philadelphia. It relates how H. ‘Jay’ Dinshah’s experience at a slaughterhouse on Front Street inspired him to found the American Vegan Society (AVS) in 1960, how beginning in 1981, Alfonsie Austin’s Basic 4 Vegetarian food stall in Reading Terminal Market made animal-free food accessible and appealing, and how creative vegan entrepreneurs have made Philly a modern hub of plant-based dining.

In 2021, the AVS opened the American Vegan Center at 17 N. 2nd Street. With Vance Lehmkuhl as director, the center offers vegan-themed books, cooking demonstrations, and snacks. Lehmkuhl oversees programming and conducts Veg History walking tours. His previous books include Eating Vegan in Philly and V for Veg: The Best of Philly’s Vegan Food Column.

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