"No child to be admitted at school unless vaccinated." 
December 17, 1827 (Boston newspaper)

The 1827 Mandate:

• December 15, 1827: Boston became the first U.S. city to require proof of smallpox vaccination for any child entering public school

• This policy was the first municipal-level school-entry immunization requirement, preceding statewide and national efforts

Historical Context:

• Smallpox was a feared killer, killing about one-third of infected individuals and leaving survivors disfigured

• Following Edward Jenner’s 1796 cowpox-based vaccine, smallpox vaccination began spreading worldwide

• Boston had a long history with smallpox: a major outbreak in 1721 led Cotton Mather and Zabdiel Boylston to introduce inoculation, planting the seeds for later acceptance of vaccination

Policy Evolution & Legal Foundation:

• Prior to 1827, Massachusetts laws in 1810 enabled health boards to require vaccination during outbreaks

• In 1827, Boston acted on its own authority to impose vaccination requirements specific to school entry

• Massachusetts would later enact a statewide school vaccination mandate in 1855, signaling growing recognition of its public-health benefits

Why It Mattered:

• It was the first time legal vaccination proof was tied to schooling, effectively endorsing widespread vaccination through what became the modern tradition of school-entry immunization

• This move reflected both rising scientific confidence in vaccination and practical efforts to halt smallpox spread in densely populated urban areas