Essay on Clara Barton

Submitted By Shelby-Hammond
Words: 386
Pages: 2

Clara Barton

Many women have done tremendous things that have helped shape American Society. One of those women is Clara Harlowe Barton. Barton was born in Massachusettes, in 1821. She was the youngest of six children. Her father being Capt. Stephen Barton (1774-1862), and her mother being Sarah Stone Barton (1783-1851). Clara Barton greatly contributed to American Society. For several years Barton was a school teacher. She impacted everyone she taught. She even opened her own school in Bordentown, New Jersey, in 1853. From 1854-1857, she was employed as a clerk in the Patent Office, until her anti-slavery beliefs made her to controversial. When the Civil War broke out, Barton saw the need for relief. She always volunteered to help those who had been injured. She came up with the idea to start an organization that would give food and medical supplies to the troops. She called it The Red Cross. She worked long hours, it was gruesome and endless. When the war came to a closing, she set up an office that helped locate/identify prisoners, and the dead. But, even when the war ended, her help didn’t come to a halt. She realized, not only could The Red Cross help troops, but it could also provide civilian disaster relief. After 8 long years, Clara Barton successfully founded the Red Cross in 1881. Barton spent a decade organizing the organization, which was officially incorporated in 1882. Under her leadership, the Red Cross assisted with natural and manmade disasters. For example, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a dam