freelancedaily

March 1885, In the manufacturing city of Leicester in England one enjoyed one of the first beautiful days of spring. Thousands from neighboring areas, from surrounding towns gathered in protest against what they felt was an unjust law imposed by their British government. Although vaccination against smallpox was in use since the 1800s, the government had not introduced any obligations before the decrees of 1840 and 1853. The law of 1853 set up the government apparatus to demand that every child be vaccinated within three months of birth. Through a series of laws over the years the British government had, at the time of the Leicster protest made a crime the refusal of small game vaccination punishable by fines or imprisonment. The "Vaccination Act" of 1867 consolidated the existing laws on vaccines and instituted a fine for parents who did not present their children for vaccination within three months of birth. Despite the government's action to ensure...