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American Red Cross Research Paper

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The American Red Cross is a major relief organization in the U.S. It is a non-profit humanitarian organization run mainly by volunteers in the community ready to jump at the opportunity to provide assistance for those in need. The Red Cross organization was founded in 1881 by a woman named Clara Burton. It was first put into action after the Civil War when aid was needed for the war injured individuals. It is an independent, worldwide organization that provides people with the knowledge they need in order to be prepared for any and all types of emergencies as well as how to prevent them from happening in the first place. (source1) The following information will be covered about the American Red Cross: Who founded it and when, and the basic …show more content…

It was first founded in Washington D.C and was inspired by a European relief organization also called Red Cross which was a network inspired by a similar Swiss organization. After returning home, Miss Burton decided that America needed a similar relief organization especially after the Civil War and she campaigned for it and it was approved by the United States. Clara Burton ran and was the leader of American Red Cross for around 23 years in which they managed to expand the network and provide relief not only for the U.S but also to a few countries around the world going through war. During the time Burton led the organization, they aided the American soldiers that fought in the Spanish-American War. Burton soon resigned in the year 1904 but the organization continued to grow and better themselves. They received three congressional charters in the years 1900, 1905, and the most recent in 2007, and Miss Burton was present only for one of them. The Red Cross provided aid for World War I through providing safe drinking water as well as nurses for wounded soldiers. After the war, the organization thrived due to the aid they provided during the war; the number of members increased rapidly and quite drastically as well. The number of people grew to about 20 million adults and 11 million junior members. After seeing what the American …show more content…

As stated in their mission, the Red Cross “prevents and alleviates human suffering” the Red Cross helps bring relief during both major and minor emergencies in order to insure the safety and health of the people. Another core principal for the Red Cross is impartiality or “fairness”. They do not believe in providing their services to a certain nationality, race, social status, or religion. To put in simple words, they do not discriminate in any way. They believe in providing relief and aid for those in need and treating every individual with equality and fairness. The Red Cross organization claim to be completely neutral in terms of religious, political, or racial controversies. The concept of independence is strongly enforced in the Red Cross network. Each individual network must remain independent and follow the specific rules set for that region where that network is located. Voluntary services are the main pillars holding the whole foundation of the American Red Cross up. The Red Cross is made up almost entirely of volunteers and they hold this a core principal because of that. In

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