it seems that george washington at valley forge instituted the first program of mandatory vaccination. How Smallpox Inoculations Helped Win the American Revolution http://patients.about.com/b/2010/04...ations-helped-win-the-american-revolution.htm imo this raises the question of whether the founders actually were intending a nation of libertarian freedom untrammeled by oppressive government. washington's policy seems in direct opposition to the currently voguish proposition that the government has no authority to implement such an infringement on personal liberty
