In the 1800’s, representation among women was rare and not necessarily a cherished thing. In a time where women were just starting to recognize their capabilities, and men started to cling desperately to their power, Ms. Clarissa Harlowe Barton, or “Clara,” as she preferred to be called, emerged as a beacon of hope, love, and devotion (Redcross). Throughout her lengthy life, Clara Barton worked toward the admirable goal of changing the world and healing all those who needed it. Clara Barton helped to shape the history, and unforetold future of America, by founding the American Red Cross, helping those in need to the best of her ability, and remaining today as an astounding symbol of female empowerment.
Ms. Barton was born in 1821 on Christmas Day – perhaps she was a gift to mankind as a whole (Biography). Even from her childhood years, she found herself taking care of people. After her brother David fell from the rafters of their barn, an 11-year-old Clara took care of him for two years before he was taken to a doctor who could help (Birthplace). Two years after that, at fifteen, Clara was inspired to start teaching – and did just that, even opening up a free public school in New Jersey. As a young woman, she had already accomplished more than many people would in their lifetime. In her thirties, Clara Barton moved to Washington D.C. to become a clerk in the U.S. Patent Office (Biography). She would never marry – she knew the limitations of women in her society and chose to keep herself free from obligations of children and housework (Wikipedia).
In the early 1860s, the Civil War began to rage through the states, and Clara Barton took it upon herself to help out again. This time, the scale was much bigger than an older brother ...
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... donors? And seeing what Clara Barton has done – everything she has done, from the beginning of her life to the last moments of it – how can anyone say that women are not equal to men in their power and their influence? Clara is not only a symbol of kindness, of determination, and of generosity; she is also a symbol of equality, she is proof that no one man or women is greater than the next, and that anyone, no matter how big or how small, no matter their sex or their race or their physical attributes, can make a name for themselves.
Clara Barton changed the world. She caused a ripple. She matters. Without her, it’s hard to say where the world would be, but it would seem a little dimmer without the presence of this astounding woman to remind people of their humanity and their humility, and the power that every person has the capability of holding in their hands.
Lillian Wald: A Biography is the gripping and inspiring story of an American who left her mark on the history of the United States. Wald dedicated herself to bettering the lives of those around her. She was the founder of The Henry Street Settlement along with the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. She worked with politics around the world and tried to bring healthcare and reform to people around the world. Using the lessons she learned in her childhood she worked closely with people from all backgrounds to fight for “universal brotherhood”. Wald was a progressive reformer, a social worker, a nurse, a teacher, and an author. Notably Lillian Wald, unlike many of the other women involved in the progressive movement such as Jane Adams, never received the same acknowledgement in the academic world.
Women like Martha followed the custom of publicly staying out of men’s affairs to honor their husbands, but privately they were the glue that held their lives together and kept the home running from day-to-day. Though these courageous and tireless women worked hard behind the scenes and did not enjoy the freedom and benefits their male counterparts did, they were an inspiration to future generations who recognized their hard work and accomplishments that paved the way for change in the words, “all men are created to equal” to include all of humanity and not just certain men.
Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was a game changer in both the Civil War and modern war efforts. Not only did Barton introduce new ways of bringing care to wounded soldiers, she also transformed the ways people viewed women working on the battlefield. Clara Barton was the first woman to stand up for the better of both soldiers on the battlefield and women in the working force. Similar to Clara Barton, Kate Chopin’s protagonist Edna Pontellier, in her novel, The Awakening, serves as a turning point in the Victorian Era for women through her feminist ideals and rebellions against the norms of society. For example, Edna pursues herself as an individual rather than conforming to the expectations of the world around her. Edna also pushes the envelope by exploring her sexuality, a scandalous action for a married woman in the
In the United States during the 1800's, the Civil War had broken out and the need for disaster relief emerged. Their had not been a specific organization or person to adminster aid to the wounded until Clara Barton came about. She had a unique ability to identify people who were underserved and easily forgotten.Clara took a courageous stand by nursing and caring for wounded soldiers. In addition to her battlefield work, she went on to search for the missing and dead soldiers of the Civil War and establish the American Associaton of the Red Cross. Clara Barton took a stand when others were falling and need help.
Clara Barton heard of the global Red Cross organization while staying in Europe after the Civil War. (History.com, “Clara Barton”) After Barton returned home from Europe she began campaigning for an American Red Cross organization. Twenty-three years later Clara Barton continued to lead the American Red Cross to provide domestic and foreign disaster relief, and helped the United Stated military in the Spanish-American War. She also successfully campaigned for the formation of relief work during times of peace as a partner with the global Red Cross network. In 1904, Clara Barton resigned her title from the American Red Cross. In 1900 the American Chapter of the Red Cross was awarded its first Congressional Charter and a second Charter in 1905. Another version of the Charter was adopted in May of 2007, that Charter restated the original purpose for the organization. “Before the First World War the American Red Cross added first aid, water safety, and health nursing programs for the public.” (Bertol, 59) When war broke out the American Chapter of the Red Cross saw an extraordinary growth. When the war ended the American Red Cross centered its service to Veterans and intensified its safety training, accident prevention, home care for sickly people, and nutritional educat...
Clara Barton was known as one of the most honored women in American history. She was among the first women to gain employment in the federal government. She worked as a recording clerk in the U.S. Patent Office in Washington, D.C. when the first united of federal troops came into the city. She devoted her personal assistance to the men in uniform, some who had already been wounded, hungry, or were without bedding and clothing. She also started providing supplies to the young men of the Sixth Massachusetts Infantry who had been ambushed in Baltimore in the uncompleted Capitol building. She helped them write letters, and pray with them.
The American Red Cross was founded on May 21, 1881 by Clara Barton. In the late 1850’s she moved to Washington, D.C. to work in the United States Patent office. Clara Barton was one of the women to ever gain employment from the federal government. Clara wanted to help the soldiers of the Civil War so she gathered supplies for the Union Army. In 1862, Clara Barton was on the battlefield in Fredericksburg, Virgina, there she was helping wounded soldiers. She also helped soldiers who were hurt and involved in Antietam. During the early 1870s, Clara Barton was helping with a relief organization called the International Red Cross. When she returned home she decided to start an American branch.
was made to help people in different difficult situations. Barton’s group also began helping people from disasters. She was the president from the association until 1904.
Subsequently, women volunteered through national or local associations or by getting permission from a commanding officer (“Nursing”). In April 1861, Dorothea Dix assembled a collection of volunteer female nurses which staged a march on Washington, demanding that the government distinguish their desire to assist the Union’s wounded soldiers. She organized military hospitals for the care of all sick and wounded soldiers, aiding the head surgeons by supplying nurses and considerable means for the ease and aid of the suffering. After she recruited nurses; nursing was greatly improved and her nurses were taken care of under her supervision (Buhler-Wilkerson). During the Civil war, most nurses were women who took care of the ill and injured soldiers. Both male and female nurses have cared for the soldiers in every American war. The majority of nurses were recruited soldiers pressed into duty. Civil war nurses worked in hospitals, on the battlefield, and in their homes (Post). The first carnage of the war made it possible for nursing to become a professional occupation. The women who proved themselves as capable volunteers established nursing as an acceptable field of employment for women after the war. The contributions of the thousands of female nurses helped to alter the image of the professional nurse and changed American nursing from a male-dominated to a largely female profession (Woodworth). Clara Barton, one of the nurses who contributed to the Civil War, founded the American Red Cross, brought supplies and helped the battlefronts before formal relief organizations could take shape to administer such shipments (Buhler-Wilkerson). The religious orders given responded to the new opportunity for servicing the injured by sending t...
Clarissa Harlowe Barton, born on December 25, 1821, in North Oxford, Massachusetts. Carissa (Clara) was born the youngest of five children to Sarah and Steven Barton. Clara received all of her schooling and life training from her parents, brothers and sisters. Her father who was a once a captain in a war, taught Clara all he knew about the battlefield. Her mother taught her to sew and cook. Her two older sisters Sally and Dorothy taught her to read before she was four years old. Her brother Stephen taught her arithmetic and David her eldest brother taught her everything else; for instance, how to ride anything on anything with four legs, how to shoot a revolver, how to balance and how to take care of and nurse animals. (OTQEF, 1999, p.1) When Clara was 11 years old her favorite brother David, fell from the roof of the barn while trying to fix it, he was seriously injured and was not expected to live. Clara offered to help him and stayed by his side for three years. Her brother recovered thanks to Clara’s help. These learning experiences gave Clara the drive and determination to achieve anything she set out...
Born on December 25, 1921, Clara grew up in a family of four children, all at least 11 years older than her (Pryor, 3). Clara’s childhood was more of one that had several babysitters than siblings, each taking part of her education. Clara excelled at the academic part of life, but was very timid among strangers. School was not a particularly happy point in her life, being unable to fit in with her rambunctious classmates after having such a quiet childhood. The idea of being a burden to the family was in Clara’s head and felt that the way to win the affection of her family was to do extremely well in her classes to find the love that she felt was needed to be earned. She was extremely proud of the positive attention that her achievement of an academic scholarship (Pryor, 12). This praise for her accomplishment in the field of academics enriched her “taste for masculine accomplishments”. Her mother however, began to take notice of this and began to teach her to “be more feminine” by cooking dinners and building fires (Pryor, 15). The 1830’s was a time when the women of the United States really began to take a stand for the rights that they deserved (Duiker, 552). Growing up in the mist of this most likely helped Barton become the woman she turned out to be.
Clara Lemlich is a Russian immigrant girl who fights for equal rights, her own education, and for her parents to believe in her. Clara changes extremely from the beginning to the end of the story. She is timid in the beginning when she is living back in Russia, then becomes shocked when she moves to New York City, then is triumphant as she becomes more independent when she stands up for herself. If Clara didn’t fight for women’s rights, would our country be the same as it is
There are a lot of intelligent women all around the world, and some of those intelligent women are intended to go into medical school. Many people think men doctors are the ones able to handle strong things like being a surgeon or diagnosing diseases. According to the book, 100 Most Important Women in the 20th century, there is a struggle of women doctors and nurses succeeding in their profession and Virginia Apgar is one of those woman who went through this struggle. Clara Baton is another woman who is very inspirational and the founder of the Red Cross. A more recent inspiring woman is Dr. Roberta Bondar. Not a lot of people recognize the historical accomplishments and impacts of women as much as men’s accomplishments. All of these women made an impact in some way, and not everyone takes the time to appreciate what they and other females have done.
Clara Barton was born during 1821 in Massachusetts. As a young child, Barton learned a great deal of schooling from her older siblings; she learned a wide variety of different subjects. She seized every educational opportunity that she was given and she worked hard to receive a well rounded-education. Clara Barton would later use her education to create her own school and eventually help start an organization that is still used today. As a young child, Clara was extremely shy; nevertheless, after many years she was able to overcome this. Even as a young child Clara thrived helping others. She tended to her sick brother who was severely injured by a roofing accident on a regular basis. The skills she learned from helping her brother proved to be used again when she was on the front-line of the Civil War helping wounded soldiers.
in her life, but most importantly she inspired other women to be independent and to improve their lives.