Vaccination Mandate: Smallpox (Massachusetts, 1809)
by Anonymous
Massachusetts became the first US state to mandate vaccination, requiring all citizens to be vaccinated against smallpox. The law faced resistance but established the precedent for public health mandates upheld in Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1905).
Mandatory Vaccination
1809
year
All citizens must be vaccinated
policy
Religious objections, liberty concerns
opposition
Chosen — upheld by Supreme Court 1905, smallpox eradicated 1980
outcome
Voluntary Vaccination
1809
year
Encourage but don't require
policy
None
opposition
Not chosen — voluntary programs had low uptake
outcome
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