Final answer:
During and after the Civil War, black doctors faced significant discrimination, with their qualifications often having to surpass those of white doctors. Despite these challenges, Black physicians and healthcare workers were vital to their communities and instrumental in the fight against racial discrimination within the healthcare system.
Step-by-step explanation:
The historical context during the Civil War period reveals that black doctors and other African American medical professionals faced immense challenges. Due to systemic racism and segregation, African Americans experienced severe discrimination, and Black medical practitioners had to meet higher standards than their white counterparts to serve.
Despite the barriers, including a lack of formal medical training opportunities and the exclusion from prestigious associations like the American Medical Association, Black physicians, nurses, and folk healers provided crucial healthcare and served as leaders within the African American community. During the Civil War, the medical services of Black Americans were integral, not only in providing care to the enslaved and free Black population but also in their contributions to the Union Army and refugee camps, in coping with dire health crises and diseases such as smallpox.
Post-Civil War, African Americans continued to struggle with health disparities and discrimination. The creation of Black healthcare institutions and professional associations like the National Medical Association and the National Association of Colored Nurses represented efforts to combat exclusion and provide healthcare to the African American population. Throughout this period, African American health professionals played a pivotal role in advocating for the community's health and challenging the racial discrimination entrenched in the healthcare system.