The 1918/1919 protests against mask wearing and other public health measures have parallels to today

We learn through this episode that various groups of Americans have been pushing back against public health measures for more than a hundred years -- and for similar reasons!!

In learning about the Anti-Mask League of 1919, we see many of the same human elements as today:

a portion of the population resistant to the measures; a business community crying out for relief; a second wave after an initial loosening; threats to public health officials

This is essentially a report that I pieced together by reading sources after getting curious about the 1919 Anti-Mask League. Any mistakes are my own.

I started by drafting a few tweets and then spent an hour and a half researching it last night. One thing led to another...

SOURCES:

The University of Michigan's Influenza Encyclopedia
The San Francisco Chronicle’s archives
America's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918 by Alfred W. Crosby
American Pandemic by Nancy Bristow

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