Historical Figure in Nursing

¶ … Nursing

Dear Casey,

I hope all is well with you and your family. It's been a while since I've written; forgive me as I've been busy with school, work and life in general. Over the past few weeks, I've become quite interested in the life and triumphs of Clara Barton, a 19th century nurse, teacher and pioneer who was by my account, a woman way ahead of her time. Clara Barton is a true hero, this letter is to give you a glimpse of her life and successes and how she contributed to nursing as we know it today. During Ms. Bartons' era women were largely shut out of working in certain professions or if they were allowed to work at all -- they were not allowed to climb the ladder to be promoted to other positions. There also lacked an institution that provided aid to those affected by disaster. It's difficult for me to imagine what we would have done without FEMA or The Red Cross when Katrina hit and other disasters in recent history. Clara Barton recognized the need for these institutions U.S., and worked until it came to fruition. She actually founded the American Red Cross! Being the history buff you are I'm sure you will appreciate my insights on Ms. Barton and her many accomplishments.

After a successful but frustrating start in New Jersey as a teacher (and school founder), Clara Barton relocated to Washington, around the start of the Civil War. Ms. Barton noticed a need for nurses on the battlefield to tend to the wounded warriors. Both local and military officials refused her assistance -- not because it wasn't needed, but because Ms. Barton was a woman, and never before was a woman allowed in military camps, on the battlefield or in hospitals. Undeterred, Ms. Barton continued to champion her cause and was eventually allowed to assist wounded soldiers on the battlefield. Ms. Barton earned respect far and wide for her efforts. Suffice it to say, Ms. Barton was clearly a woman ahead of her time, no longer restricting herself to conventional roles and deciding to force the institutions who uphold "men only" rules to rethink their policies. Ms. Barton was quoted as saying" "It irritates me to be told how things have always been done. I defy the tyranny of precedent. I go for anything new that might improve the past." From this statement, I am certain Ms. Barton was not going to allow sexism impede her from doing what she thought right. Certainly, when it comes to war as much help as one can get is always a good thing, I can't imagine how asinine Ms. Barton must have thought it was for her voluntarily assistance be refused because she was a female. But because of her persistence, I positive she saved hundreds of lives and at the least provided comfort to soldiers in need.

After learning about Ms. Barton's pioneering role and bravery on the battlefield, I wasn't shocked to learn this next fact. Clara Barton was responsible for founding the American Red Cross. After travelling overseas and witnessing first-hand how much good the Red Cross was doing in areas torn apart by war. She saw the value of having such an organization in the U.S. And since the U.S. did not sign the Geneva Convention which advocated for the establishment of the Red Cross, America was left without this service-oriented institution until Ms. Barton established the American Red Cross in 1881. The U.S. did eventually sign the Geneva Convention in 1882 but by then the American Red Cross was in full implementation. Ms. Barton expanded to Red Cross to help not just wartime victims but also to assist with manmade natural disasters. For her tireless dedication and service Ms. Barton received the Order of the Silver Cross from Imperial Russia, the Order of the Iron Cross from Imperial Germany and the International Red Cross Medal. She was also named American Red Cross President for Life.

Barton was also the first woman to head a government bureau! Ms. Barton was tapped to lead the Missing Soldiers Office by President Lincoln. Given $15,000 and a staff of 12, Ms. Barton and her team tracked down missing soldiers, issued lists of Prisoners of War and helped individuals reunite with loved ones. They received over 60,000 letters from individuals searching for lost sons and husbands. She is credited with finding over 22,000 missing persons. Honestly, Ms. Barton puts both of us to shame! Here is a 19th century woman, who did an amazing things despite the odds and both you and I (and the world) are still benefiting for her selfless service and dedication. At the age of 77, Ms. Barton travelled to Cuba to help bring aid to Cubans who were displaced because of the war. Yes, at the age of 77!