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New Report Available: The History of US Vaccine Mandates

Data on 50 States and ~250 Years
Key Takeaways
  • George Washington instituted the first American inoculation mandate for soldiers in the Continental Army in 1777
  • Massachusetts passed the first state-level vaccine mandate for smallpox in 1810
  • All 50 states have had vaccine mandates for public schools since 1980, with some exemptions

Los Angeles, CA – January 13, 2022 - The A-Mark Foundation, a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) private operating foundation that researches, funds, and disseminates factual reports to advance education, discussion, and debate, has issued a new report covering the history of vaccine mandates in the United States, titled: A Brief History: Mandated Vaccinations (and Exemptions) in US States, Public Schools, and the Military

The report found that the first American inoculation mandate was instituted by George Washington for the Continental Army in 1777. Massachusetts passed the first state-level vaccine mandate for smallpox in 1810, and in 1855, became the first state to mandate the smallpox vaccine for school children.

The report compiled a chart of vaccine mandates for K-12 students in all 50 states for diseases like polio, whooping cough (pertussis), and measles, and a list of exemptions for the same, as well as the relevant Supreme Court decisions that upheld past vaccine mandates. 

It also lists Supreme Court rulings on the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccine mandates impacting millions of American workers and will be updated as pending court cases resolve.

A full roster of the Foundation’s reports on other topics may be found at amarkfoundation.org.

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Key Takeaways
  • George Washington instituted the first American inoculation mandate for soldiers in the Continental Army in 1777
  • Massachusetts passed the first state-level vaccine mandate for smallpox in 1810
  • All 50 states have had vaccine mandates for public schools since 1980, with some exemptions
Contacts
Tracey DeFrancesco
tracey@amarkfoundation.org
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