In 1901 a deadly smallpox epidemic tore through the Northeast, prompting the Boston and Cambridge boards of health to order the vaccination of all residents. But some refused to get the shot, claiming the vaccine order violated their personal liberties under the Constitution. Henning Jacobson, took his anti-vaccine crusade all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. A landmark 1905 ruling legitimized the government's authority to "reasonably" infringe upon personal freedoms during a public health crisis by issuing a fine to those who refused vaccination.