- In full:
- Clarissa Harlowe Barton
- Born:
- Dec. 25, 1821, Oxford, Mass., U.S.
- Died:
- April 12, 1912, Glen Echo, Md. (aged 90)
- Founder:
- American Red Cross
Clara Barton
-
Who was Clara Barton?
Clara Barton (1821ā1912) was the founder of the American Red Cross. She organized facilities to recover soldiersā lost baggage and secured medicine and supplies for men wounded in the First Battle of Bull Run during the Civil War. Formally appointed superintendent of nurses for the Army of the James in June 1864, she set up a bureau of records to aid in the search for missing men at President Abraham Lincoln's request in 1865. After campaigning for the U.S. to sign the Geneva Convention, she organized the American Association of the Red Cross in 1881, later known as the American National Red Cross, and served as its president until 1904.
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What is Clara Barton best known for?
Clara Barton (Clarissa Harlowe Barton), born on December 25, 1821, was the founder of the American Red Cross. During the American Civil War, she organized facilities to recover soldiersā lost baggage and secured medicine and supplies for wounded men. Formally appointed superintendent of nurses for the Army of the James in June 1864, she also set up a bureau of records to aid in the search for missing men at President Abraham Lincoln's request.
While in Europe, Barton became associated with the International Red Cross and campaigned for the U.S. to sign the Geneva Convention. In 1881, she organized the American Association of the Red Cross, later the American National Red Cross, serving as its president until 1904.
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What important role did Clara Barton have during the American Civil War?
During the American Civil War, Clara Barton played a crucial role by organizing resources and providing aid to soldiers. At the start of the war, she gathered supplies for wounded soldiers at the First Battle of Bull Run and secured medicine. She obtained permission to pass through battle lines to nurse the wounded, distribute supplies, and search for missing soldiers. In 1864, she was appointed superintendent of nurses for the Army of the James. Additionally, in 1865, she established a bureau of records to help search for missing men at President Abraham Lincoln's request.
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How did Clara Barton help injured soldiers?
During the American Civil War, Clara Barton organized resources to help wounded soldiers, securing medicine and supplies for them after the First Battle of Bull Run. She obtained permission to cross battle lines to give supplies, find the missing, and nurse the wounded. In June 1864, she was formally appointed superintendent of nurses for the Army of the James. Additionally, in 1865, she set up a bureau of records to aid in the search for missing men at President Abraham Lincoln's request. For her work helping those on the battlefield, she would become known as the "angel of the battlefield".
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What organization did Clara Barton help found in the United States?
Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross, a humanitarian and disaster-relief organization, in 1881, after observing the success of the International Red Cross in Europe. She served as the agencyās president until 1904. Under her leadership, the Red Cross provided assistance during events such as the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, flood of 1889, the Galveston, Texas, tidal wave disaster of 1900, and the Spanish-American War (1898). In addition to disaster relief, the American Red Cross oversees blood donations and provides community assistance, support for military members and their families, and health and safety education.
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How has Clara Barton's work influenced humanitarian efforts in America today?
Clara Barton's work significantly shaped modern American humanitarian efforts through the American Red Cross, which she founded in 1881, inspired by the International Red Cross in Europe. The organization provides disaster relief, not only in war but also during calamities such as floods and earthquakes.
Today, the Red Cross provides shelter, food, and health services during emergencies. It also collects blood, supports the military, and offers health and safety education. This enduring legacy reflects Barton's vision of organized and compassionate aid, influencing how the U.S. responds to crises.
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Clara Barton (born Dec. 25, 1821, Oxford, Mass., U.S.ādied April 12, 1912, Glen Echo, Md.) was the founder of the American Red Cross.
Barton was educated at home and began teaching at age 15. She attended the Liberal Institute at Clinton, N.Y. (1850ā51). In 1852 in Bordentown, N.J., she established a free school that soon became so large that the townsmen would no longer allow a woman to run it. Rather than subordinate herself to a male principal, Barton resigned. She was then employed by the U.S. Patent Office in Washington, D.C., from 1854 to 1857 and again in 1860.
At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Barton showed characteristic initiative in organizing facilities to recover soldiersā lost baggage and in securing medicine and supplies for men wounded in the First Battle of Bull Run. She gained permission to pass through the battle lines to distribute supplies, search for the missing, and nurse the wounded. Barton carried on this work through the remainder of the Civil War, traveling with the army as far south as Charleston, S.C., in 1863. In June 1864 she was formally appointed superintendent of nurses for the Army of the James. In 1865, at the request of Pres. Abraham Lincoln, she set up a bureau of records to aid in the search for missing men.
While she was in Europe for a rest (1869ā70), the Franco-German War broke out, and Barton again distributed relief supplies to war victims. In Europe she became associated with the International Red Cross (now Red Cross and Red Crescent), and after her return to the United States in 1873 she campaigned vigorously and successfully for that country to sign the Geneva Convention. The agreement sought to allow for the treating of the sick and wounded in battle, the proper identifying and burial of those killed in battle, and the proper handling of prisoners of war. In 1881 she organized the American Association of the Red Cross, known from 1893 as the American National Red Cross, and served as its president until 1904. She wrote the American amendment to the constitution of the Red Cross, which provides for the distribution of relief not only in war but also in times of such calamities as famines, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, and pestilence.
Barton devoted herself entirely to the organization, soliciting contributions and taking to the field with relief workers even as late as the Spanish-American War in Cuba, when she was 77 years old. She was jealous of any interference, however, and supervised the organizationās activities so closely that charges of authoritarianism were brought against her by members of the executive council. The Red Cross had been chartered by Congress in 1900, and the rebelling faction used that lever to force Bartonās resignation in 1904. Despite the arbitrariness of her administrative methods, her achievements remained; she was affectionately known as the āangel of the battlefieldā for her lifeās work. She wrote several books, including History of the Red Cross (1882), The Red Cross in Peace and War (1899), and The Story of My Childhood (1907).