The Amazing Clara Barton

Clara Barton Introduction In any discussion of pioneers of Human Services, one name should immediately come to mind—Clara Barton. This self-taught nurse and founder of the American Red Cross left of legacy of humanitarian aid behind when she died in 1912. Born in 1821, she served as a hospital nurse in the American Civil War and became a member of the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1973.

This paper will provide the background biographical information on Clara Barton, discuss her most significant contribution to Human Services, describe where she did her work, and explain her legacy. Biographical Information Clara Barton was born on Christmas Day in 1821 in North Oxford, Massachusetts. Her family religion was Universalist and she believed in the Universalist doctrine that all people are born saved because a good God would never create a person who could be damned to hell (Pryor, 2018). Perhaps for that reason, she became devoted to others.

Barton took after her father and was a patriot at heart: he served in the local militia and she would go on to serve her countrymen during the most dreadful war of its history. Barton’s penchant for nursing came early when her brother fell from the roof of the barn and severely injured himself. Clara was only ten years of age, but she took it upon herself to learn how to nurse him back to health.

Even though the doctors lost hope for the boy, Clara never did and her dedication is what helped to see him through to making a full recovery (Barton, 1980). Clara was also very shy as a young girl and to help her overcome her shyness her parents encouraged her to become a teacher. Clara earned her teaching certificate at just 17 years of age and fell in love with the work.

She found herself dedicated to the children of workers in the area and pushed for a redistricting of the region so that their children could receive an education. She was, like her father, a progressive who did not settle for the status quo but pushed to make things better for all those who were around her (Pryor, 2018). Clara would go on to teach for 12 years both in Georgia and in Canada.

Following her mother’s death in 1851, Clara Barton enrolled in Clinton Liberal Institute in New York to further her education. Progressive as ever, she opened a free school the following year in Bordentown, New Jersey—the very first of its kind in the state (Howard & Kavenick, 1990). And even though the school prospered with Clara at its head, she was replaced by a man because it was felt that a woman should not be a top administrator.

Clara left New Jersey for Washington, D.C., where she worked in the patent office. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Clara was there at hand to nurse the several dozen men injured in the Baltimore Riot. Barton was a true nurse to them—not just nursing their wounds but giving them moral and emotional support by talking to them, reading them books and letters, and penning letters back home to their families in their name. She was a true friend of the soldier (American Red Cross, 2016).

Her devotion to the soldiers was soon recognized and in 1864 she was made “lady in charge” by Gen. Butler—i.e., she was the head of the Army of the James hospitals even though she had never had any formal training in nursing. Nicknamed the Angel of the Battlefield, Barton was beloved by all for her tireless devotion. She constantly worked to bring supplies to those in need.

When the War ended, Barton ran the Office of Missing Soldiers to help families who were inquiring about loved ones they feared might be dead. At the same time she met Susan B. Anthony and began crusading for women’s suffrage. She began to travel abroad and came into contact with the Red Cross in Switzerland. Her devotion did not go unnoticed by the Red Cross leaders there and she was asked to represent the American Red Cross upon her return home.

Barton became President of the American Red Cross in 1881. She was 60 years old. Most Significant Contribution Clara’s most significant contributions to the field of Human Services were numerous. They consisted of her compassion for those in need and were displayed in her founding of the free school in New Jersey, her devotion to the American soldier both during and after the war, and her commitment to nursing by becoming the first president of the American Red Cross in New York.

She was a tireless advocate for progress and wanted to help those who were too poor to receive an education, too tired and injured to care for themselves as a result of battle injuries, and too helpless to find loved ones or to locate their gravesite. She aided in the Johnstown Flood disaster of 1889 by providing relief along with 50 nurses and doctors of the American Red Cross. She even opened up the first American International Red Cross in Turkey (American Red Cross, 2018). Setting Barton traveled often throughout her life.

She taught in Canada, Georgia and New Jersey. She worked in D.C. She nursed during the Civil War in the South. She opened the first American Red Cross in New York. And she traveled to various destinations whenever a natural disaster occurred or war broke out so as to be there to help and to serve those in need.

Legacy The legacy of Clara Barton is this: she was a woman who defied convention and the odds to become a “lady in charge” as she was called—and she used that respect, leveraging it to gain support for the American Red Cross upon her return from traveling abroad. She spread the American Red Cross across the U.S. and even abroad by opening its first International chapter.

Today, the American Red Cross is alive and running all around the world, serving those suffering from misfortune and aiding those in need—just as Clara Barton did for much of her life. Barton also founded the National First Aid Society, which had as its goal the promotion of first aid by offering programs locally to those who wished to know how to save lives and treat others.

This was a passion project for Barton because she knew first hand the power of providing first aid to loved ones and she suspect there were millions more who would want and could benefit from that knowledge. Today, the National First Aid Society is part of the American Red Cross. Her legacy is a reflection of the good deeds she did when she lived and that is what she is remembered for today.

She devoted herself to human services, and that is why she should be remembered for any publication on the field. She was more than a nurse, however; she was a woman who believed everyone was worth saving—and that idea was what compelled her to serve others everywhere. Conclusion Clara Barton started out life as a small, shy girl from Massachusetts. She ended her life, larger.