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The Founding Of The National Medical Association, Karen Morris

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

In 1869, a mere four years after the end of the Civil War and during a time when Southern sentiment ran high in Washington, D.C., three African-American physicians applied for membership into the all-white Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC). Though meeting all eligibility requirements, they were denied admission into this society based solely on their race. Amidst much publicity in the local newspapers, the three physicians and their supporters sought remedy of the exclusionary practices of the MSDC on the floor of Congress and at the American Medical Associations (AMA) Annual Meeting. However, those opposed to integrating …