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Clara Barton Women In The Military

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Clara Barton, who was born in 1821, grew up in Massachusetts. Growing up with five siblings, she was taught that women weren’t supposed to do activities such as being a nurse or working in the military. While this was not the norm, she wished to become a nurse as a child because she was influenced by her father who worked in the military. She was a rebel. He would come home to tell her tales of his time in the military which often included stories of his wounded cohorts. At only ten years old, she took it upon herself to nurse her brother back to health after he fell off the roof of their barn. Eventually, she turned to teaching as she got older. During her time as a teacher her students were so well behaved the parents deemed her the best discipliner. Offended, she requested them to take back this name. Barton fared well as a teacher and knew how to handle rambunctious children, particularly the boys, since as a child she enjoyed her male cousins' and brothers' company. …show more content…

and began work as a clerk in the US Patent Office, this was the first time a woman had received a adequate job in the federal government and at a salary equal to a man's salary. Subsequently, under political opposition to women working in government offices, her position was reduced to that of copyist, and in 1856, under the administration of James Buchanan, eliminated entirely. Irritated, Barton took to gathering supplies for the Civil War soldiers, because her father had convinced her that it was her duty as a Christian to help them. Because Barton kept persisting, she finally gained permission from Quartermaster Daniel Rucker to work on the front lines. Clara was determined. She gained support from other people who believed in her cause. She worked to apply dressings, and serve food to wounded soldiers in close proximity to several battles, including Cedar Mountain, Second Bull Run, Antietam, and

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