Clara Barton

Clara Barton, 1850

Clara Barton is a hero to many people for many reasons. She is credited with establishing the American Red Cross Society and was elected its first president. Because of her efforts, many lives were saved. She had saved so many lives that she was nicknamed "Angel of the battlefield." Because she saved thousands of lives, she is a hero to me and many others.

Clara was born December 25, 1821 in North Oxford, and Massachusetts. Later, her family moved and she grew up in Fredericksburg, Virginia. As a child and young adult she was not at all sociable and didn't have a lot of friends because she was very insecure. Confidence was not her strong point. She had lost her older sister who had died when she was six years old. She was scared of lots of things like snakes, horses, thunder and strangers. She was feeling unimportant. When she was an adult, she earned her teaching certificate and began teaching in an elementary school. Some biographies say she became a teacher at the age of fifteen and her parents had to make her look older to get a job. She later opened her very own school at the age of thirty-one. Clara loved to teach social studies and would work with the students for hours. She also helped kids that couldn't afford a public school and gave them a great education. Throughout her lifetime, Clara had other jobs as well. She served as the Fredericksburg superintendent at the Massachusetts high school and worked at the Us Patent Office. Clara became the first woman clerk in Washington D.C. There weren't many women getting paid as much as men; she was one of the first. When the Civil War began there was a great need help with the wounded. During the 1800's nursing was not a profession that required a degree. Whoever was willing would help the wounded. Clara saw a need and began to help. Years later she was on the battlefield during the war to help injured soldiers. She provided water food, and bandages to the soldiers. Her travels to Europe taught her about the work of the Red Cross. Clara got an idea to start an organization to help others in the USA.

Clara Barton, 1865

Clara was a strong supporter of equal rights for all people. She corresponded with many leaders of the Woman's Rights Movement, including Susan B. Anthony. After the war, Clara was friendly with many nineteenth century African – American leaders, including educator Elizabeth Hyde Bitumen and Fredrick Douglas. Clara Barton was honored by parties on both sides for her work during the Franco- Prussian War. Here, she first worked under banner of the International Red Cross.

Clara had many challenges in her life. When she came to Washington D.C. and was presenting the idea of the American Red Cross in our country but they did not want it. She did not give up. But this time Clara came back with a booklet that said how prisoners in a war should be treated. She went back to Washington to show them that they would want their soldiers to be treated humanely. They finally agreed so she got right to work. In 1873, Clara had a nervous breakdown and had to be confined to bed for two years. Dealing with sick and dying soldiers on the battlefield made life difficult every day. Another challenge was when she couldn't speak right before her big speech in Boston. She was petrified! She had someone help her to give her speech and everyone liked it. Clara was also extremely shy and insecure. So it made it hard for her to work with a lot of people and to be with a lot of people so as you can see Clara had a lot of challenges.

Clara Barton had many accomplishments and contributions. One of her accomplishments is that she is the founder of The American Red Cross Society in the United States. She was also a nurse in the Civil War and in the Army. Some people called Clara "the American Florence Nightingale". Florence Nightingale achieved fame as the founder of modern nursing. Clara did many things for the community such as; write a booklet called The American Red Cross of the Geneva Convention. It was about how to treat the prisoner in the war so everyone was treated humanely and with care. It could also help people if they experienced flood, fire or disasters. During her lifetime, Clare wrote two books. In 1998 she wrote The Red Cross: A History and in 1907, The Story of My Childhood. The number of soldiers she saved was countless and therefore she accomplished a great deal in her life.

Clara has had many honors and award and recognitions. Did you know that Clara Barton didn't go looking for fame but got it in the end? She was honored in many countries when she traveled there. They honored her with medals, flowers, ribbons and jewels. Clara was honored in many ways. She was known around the world and is known by many even today. There are countless books written about her and she is a topic in American History.

Clara Barton has many qualities and traits that helped her in her career and lifetime. She was a daring person. Going onto the battlefield was a frightening experience and she had to deal with severe injuries. She bravely went because it was needed. She was also very dedicated. She worked tirelessly to get the Red Cross established in the United States. Even though people did not want it, she kept at it and finally succeeded. Clara was very intelligent. She earned a teaching degree and wrote books. She found ways to convince people about how to care for those in need. Her caring personality was complimented by her intelligence. So, as you can see, Clara Barton has many qualities and traits that contributed to her success.

I think you can learn many things from Clara Barton. You should never give up on your dreams and what you believe is right and good. You can overcome your fears if you set your mind to it. You can do anything that you want to do. There are many things you could learn from Clara Barton. That is why she is a hero to me and many others.