Clara Barton

Clara Barton (http://www.nps.gov/anti/clara.htm)

Can you imagine yourself working as a nurse on the frontline of the Civil War? Nurses who worked on the frontline were in the middle of the battle, helping soldiers with any of the soldiers’ bloody wounds. That’s what Clara Barton went through, without pay.

My hero is Clara Harlowe Barton. She was born on December 25, 1821 in North Oxford, Massachusetts. She passed away on April 12, 1912. During some of the time that she was alive she was an unpaid nurse in the Civil War. After the Civil War she went to Europe for rest, but when she was there the Franco-Prussian War broke out. She helped with supplies distribution for the nurses of that war. During that time she found out about the Treaty of Geneva and the International Red Cross. Clara went back to the U.S and talked to the President about this and found out that the U.S refused to sign the Treaty. She didn’t think that was a good decision so she started a campaign of persuasion. Soon the U.S. gave in and signed the Treaty. From there, she put together the American Red Cross.

American Red Cross (www.redcrossbcnj.org/)

She was president of the American Red Cross for twenty-two years. While she was in this position, she aided victims during the Mississippi and Ohio River floods in 1882. The organization also aided victims in different disasters like the Texas famine in 1886, Florida yellow fever in 1887 and many, many more.

Clara Barton was a “Hero to others near and far,” because she represents a person who makes helping people a personal goal. That is the exact definition that T.A. Barron, author of The Hero’s Trail, gives for a “Hero to others near and far.” She is a “Hero to others near and far” because, being the president of American Red Cross, she helped many victims who were affected by many disasters. She also was committed to fighting for woman’s rights, so she worked with other woman who felt just like she did.

You might think that being a nurse voluntarily is just unthinkable because of all the danger but you can see why Clara Barton did that. You can see that she had a dedication to help people through all of her accomplishments throughout her life. Clara Barton has been a hero to me by showing me that no matter what, you can always lend a hand to someone else without wanting something in return.