Clara Barton
Clara Barton lived in a time when women were seemingly inferior, at a time when the roles she took on were unusual for her gender. Clara Barton lived and thrived in the midst of the American Civil War. Looked upon as “one of the most honored women in American history,” Barton impacted our country most significantly by establishing the American Red Cross, an organization that today provides disaster relief and other forms of medical assistance. For twenty three years, Barton led the organization that she had founded in 1881 at the age of sixty. The foundation of the Red Cross was inspired by her previous experiences. At a young age, Barton was a school teacher,—despite the fact that the occupation was usually taken on by men—took part in the federal government at the U.S. Patent office as a recording clerk—in fact, one of the first women to ever do such a thing—and gave her extra time to soldiers who were in need of medical supplies, food, clothes,
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Her active role in both the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War and establishment of the Red Cross nearly redefined what it meant to be a volunteer, paving way to a new field of service. She was seen as a sense of hope on the battlefield, for no matter what time of day it was, she was there determined to make a difference, comfort soldiers, and provide her services. Unlike many others of her time, Barton was recorded as somebody who understood human needs, who was compassionate and sympathetic to people’s pain and desires. She was also known for her efforts in establishing a national cemetery in honor of the Union soldiers who died in the Andsersonville Prison. Though Barton herself died in April of 1912, her contribution to the United States is still present today, as the American Red Cross works everyday to provide people with assistance, no matter what gender, age,
After four years of seemingly endless battle between a divided nation, more than 600,000 people were killed. These lives, however, were not given in vain. Had it not been for the American Civil War, abolition may not have been carried out. The nation might have remained divided. Women might have remained confined to their roles as the "homemakers." Although the Civil War was fought in hopes of preserving the nation and ridding it of slavery, another war raged on within the depths of this war--the women's war. Serving as nurses both in the hospital and on the battlefields, women came to know a whole
Women were considered frail, unintelligent, and unable to make decisions in eighteen-hundredths America. It was traditional wisdom that a woman’s place was in the home. The Civil War marked a turning point for women and their role in society. Through my research consisting of books, letters, speeches, and articles, I will tell the story of a time in America when women rose to satisfy the needs of the country when most men were away fighting the war. This essay will analyze the roles of women in eighteen-hundredths America, by evaluating how women’s roles had changed; they now were nurses, soldiers/spies, and public workers/activists.
aiding the wounded soldiers, Clara Barton did work from where she could. She started to
On 1854, Clara moved to Washington D.C. to work at the United States Patent office to become a patent clerk. She fought for women’s rights, as the office fired workers just because they were women. In April 1861, when the Civil War was amidst, Clara decided to buy supplies for the soldiers at battle. When she asked the generals if they needed medical assistance, they turned her down. However, it didn’t stop her from trying. She solicited acquaintances from Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey to send medicine, bandages, food, and clothes. She also worked with her sister, Sally, to collect supplies. She used these items to help wounded soldiers. Over time, Clara created a support network that spanned across the Union. Barton came to the rescue at many battlefields, such as the Second Battle of Bull Run (1862), the Battle of Antietam (1862), the Battle of Petersburg (1865), and many, many more. During her time as a nurse, she did not have time to find a spouse or have children. Clara considered the soldiers as family. Clara was unselfish, only accepting items that other soldiers had. When a general offered a rug for her tent, she refused, for other soldiers didn’t have one. She felt guilty receiving more aid than the people on the battlefield fighting for their lives. Barton once said, “I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and
In “Letters of a Civil War Nurse”, written in 1863, Cornelia Hancock’s account of the Civil War gives readers an account of the suffering and hardship of soldiers through the point of view of an Union nurse. This document written by Cornelia Hancock is an account as a nurse who went through the Battle of Gettysburg and the after effects. Through a series of letters written to her loved ones, Cornelia wrote what nurses went through during the times of war. At the time women were expected to be good wives; with Cornelia Hancock’s effort she was able to help soldiers and contribute to the idea that women are capable of much more than being good wives; women can be apart of war. With her background as a Quaker and her family history, Cornelia Hancock was able to contribute greatly to the war effort even though she was originally denied to becoming an union nurse.
I, Clara Barton, am significant in American history. I am most commonly known for founding the American Red Cross. Before that, I grew up on a farm with my parents and four siblings, went to school, and was employed in the patent office and as a nurse. Without me, life today would be much different.
In the article “Clara Barton,” it thoroughly informs the readers about her personal life and her contribution as a volunteer during the Civil War. Starting with her biography, the article discusses Barton’s educational life and her thirst to do charity work and philanthropy. According to this article, Clara Barton was a pioneer nurse, American teacher and humanitarian. She was born in Oxford, Massachusetts, and was the youngest of six children. Barton was homeschooled and she was the most brightest and intelligent among her siblings. One of her achievements was an establishment of a free public school in Bordentown, New Jersey, in 1853. She was also a founder of Red Cross, which is a volunteer led-organization that runs the world’s
By the end of the war Barton had performed most of the services that would later be associated with the American Red Cross, which she founded in 1881. In 1904 she resigned as head of that organization, retiring to her home outside Washington, D.C., where she died 12 Apr. 1912
Clara Barton was a nurse in the Civil War and helped take care of soldiers, whether they were on the field or not. She brought her own supplies to help the soldiers. She brought food and bedding supplies. Barton also helped the soldiers in hospitals and the confederate soldiers in jail, as well. Clara Barton impacted the health of soldiers on and off the field.
Clara Barton was born in oxford massachusetts on december 25,1821 and died april 12,1912. When she was older she she moved to maryland and was an educator, nurse and founder of the american red cross. Barton spent much of her life in the service of others and created an organization that still helps people in need today - the american red cross. She led the american red cross for 23 years. She became a teacher, and worked in the u.s. Patent office and was an independent nurse during the civil war. While visiting europe, she worked with a relief organization known as the international red cross. The american red cross was founded in 1881, and Barton served as its first president. A shy child, she first found her calling
Barton was one of the most courageous women in the world and risked her life multiple times for others life. Clara was one of the first volunteers to appear at Washington Infirmary to cure wounded soldiers. Clara’s father’s death made a great impact on her choices and because of this she wanted to work on the battlefields instead of the city hospitals. Her presence and the large amounts of supplies were very appreciated at the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg). (http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/clara-barton.html).
Over 150 years ago a woman named Clara Barton repeatedly defied the odds stacked against females, reinventing herself time and time again. After a career as an educator and clerk in the US Patent Office Clara Barton began her work with the Ladies’ Aid Society delivering supplies to soldiers fighting in the Civil War. Her compassion and devotion to humankind soon transformed this supply service into a career as a Civil War Nurse. She solicited donations and used her own money to purchase supplies needed to care for the wounded. She routinely placed herself in harm’s way to deliver supplies and render aid to those in need regardless of where their loyalties lay. She took the initiative to record the names of men who and died and where they were buried, she documented the conditions of the hospitals where the wounded were being treated. She worked to educate former slaves and prepare them for their new life of freedom. After the war she helped locate missing soldiers, providing comfort to grieving families. In time she founded the American Red Cross.
She commonly wrote home to families that reported their men missing. The number of letters she was writing continued to increase towards the end of the war and she realized another human need that she could fulfill. She established the Office of Correspondence with Friends of the Missing Men of the United States Army in order to structurally uncover missing men from the troops and to inform their families. Barton was given rooms in Washington, D.C. to operate out of with her volunteers. President Abraham Lincoln wrote: “To the Friends of Missing Persons: Miss Clara Barton has kindly offered to search for the missing prisoners of war. Please address her . . . giving her the name, regiment, and company of any missing prisoner” (The American Red Cross). She went on to run this operation for four years and in total answered over 63,000 letters and identified over 22,000 missing men. Barton played another honorable role in the Civil War when she helped a team of military men identify the graves of around13,000 men who had died in the notorious Andersonville Prison in Georgia and established a national cemetery around them (The American Red Cross). She personally helped raise the United Sates flag over the grounds in 1865 during the official dedication. A defining aspect of Clara Barton’s life that led her to accomplish numerous acts of pure kindness was her inability to remain satisfied when she knew there was more that could be done. She continued to perform various volunteer jobs but decided to vacation to Europe in 1869 for personal time. Instead of rest, she found new, improved ways to make a difference in people’s lives. Barton was exposed to the Red Cross that was in place in Switzerland and was very interested in the work that they did. She became educated about Henry Dunant, the Red Cross founder and his mission for the
In 1905, Clara Barton started the National First Aid Society. This organization made first aid kits that were used in schools and people’s houses. The national first aid society supervised first aid classes and gave out educational materials. In the same year Clara wrote books. She wrote The Story of the Red Cross and The Story of My Childhood. After suffering two episodes of pneumonia Clara Barton died at the age of 90 in 1912.
While living in Denver, Margaret joined the Denver Woman’s Club and the Denver Woman’s Press Club (Harper, K.). She became interested in these clubs due to the poor living conditions of others around them in Denver. These organizations goals were to bring better lives to others through social and political activism. Margaret achieved several things in her life. She was most fond of the