African-American Medical Schools (1900-1926, Section 3)
Howard University College of Medicine c. 1900 (Courtesy of the Moorland-Springarn Research Center, Howard University Archives)
Aspiring African Americans had limited options for medical school. A handful of northern institutions occasionally admitted black students. Before 1910, however, fewer than ten schools regularly admitted large classes of African-American students to study medicine. These predominantly black institutions were located in the southern United States, where the majority of African Americans then lived. Two schools – Meharry and Howard University - were responsible for educating most black physicians. Both schools remain active today.
1867
Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C. was the other main option. Incorporated by Congress in 1867 to promote the education and welfare of former slaves, or freedmen, Howard University opened its medical school one year later. The medical school was open to students of all races, but assumed a special mission to provide superior training for would-be black doctors and to improve the health care African Americans across the country.
Between 1865 and 1910, the other predominantly black medical schools struggled to remain in continuous operation. These included:
- Leonard Medical School in Shaw University, North Carolina
- Flint Medical College, Louisiana
- Louisville National Medical College, Kentucky
- Knoxville Medical College, Tennessee
- Chattanooga National Medical College, Tennessee
- State University Medical Department, Kentucky
- University of West Tennessee College of Medicine and Surgery
1876
Founded by former slaves and other African Americans in 1876 in Nashville, Tennessee, Meharry Medical College originally served as the medical department of Central Tennessee College (later known as Walden University). By 1915, Meharry Medical College separated from Central Tennessee and operated as an independent institution.