Changes

The 1918 -1920 flu pandemic offers us valuable insights into efforts to get people to wear masks and common complaints against them. Similar to today, American society debated its utility and looked at issues of personal freedom and comfort. While many concerns and issues faced are familiar to us, people also were creative in attempting to get people to follow community health practices. These efforts included punishment, embarrassment, appealing to patriotism, or creating masks that were more fashionable. While these tactics were not always effective, they did also generally convince people to wear masks in the United States.