Abstract:

The mandatory vaccination of students against smallpox in U.S. schools cannot be regarded merely as a medical advancement aimed at promoting child welfare; rather, it was the result of struggles among the government, physicians, and anti-mandatory vaccination activists to assert and safeguard authority. An examination of the process of implementing mandatory smallpox vaccination programs in U.S. schools reveals that the government served as the primary driving force behind these initiatives, while opposition evolved from early concerns about vaccine safety to a later emphasis on defending individual liberty. Ultimately, the protection of health ceased to be a purely individual matter. In the process of enforcing mandatory vaccination, the government established a form of social authority over individual bodies, and by reinterpreting the concept of “freedom,” it also acquired cultural authority. Together, these forms of authority further strengthened governmental control over individuals and profoundly reshaped the relationship between the state and the individual.

Key words: mandatory vaccination, smallpox, education, authority