Indian Vaccination Act of 1832

The Indian Vaccination Act was an act that was passed by congress in 1832.[1] The act was passed to vaccinate the Indian Americans for Smallpox to prevent the spread of the disease. It was also passed to remove the Native Americans by moving them west so white Americans could take their land.[2][3]

History

The act was first passed on May 5, 1832.[4] Lewis Cass, Secretary of War, was the one who designed the act.[4] Members of Congress appropriated 12,000 dollars to vaccinate them.[5] However, the disease killed 90% of the Mandan Indians, who were excluded from the act.[6] It also excluded Hidatsas and Arikaras.[3]

By February 1, 1833, more than 17,000 Indians were vaccinated.[3]

References
  1. "U.S. vaccinates Native peoples on the frontier against smallpox - Timeline - Native Voices". www.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  2. Indian Vaccination Act - May 5, 1832 This Day in History Class. Jeffcoat, Ives.
  3. "Section 2: Smallpox Among Indian Tribes | North Dakota Studies". www.ndstudies.gov. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  4. Pearson, J. Diane (2003-08-28). "Lewis Cass and the Politics of Disease: The Indian Vaccination Act of 1832". Wicazo Sa Review. 18 (2): 9–35. doi:10.1353/wic.2003.0017. ISSN 1533-7901.
  5. Bloch Rubin, Ruth. "Public Health, Indian Removal, and the Growth of State Capacity, 1800-1850" (PDF). American Politics Workshop. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  6. "The politics of disease: The Indian Vaccination Act, 1832 | American Indian Studies". ais.arizona.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
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