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...…everywhere.

Conclusion

Clara Barton started out life as a small, shy girl from Massachusetts. She ended her life, larger than life—a legend who had done more with her time and talents than most could ever dream of doing. She got her start in serving others when she tended to her brother at just the ripe young age of 10. From there she began to take an interest in others in need, and when she became a school teacher she pushed for reform and change so that the children of local workers could receive an education. She continued that progressive agenda in New Jersey by opening the state’s first free school, which prospered immensely. However, being pushed out of the top spot in the school on the grounds that women should not be in charge of things, Barton found other ways to serve. When the war broke out in 1861, she became known as the angel of the battlefield—bringing supplies to soldiers in the camps when no one else could and nursing the soldiers and supporting them with every fiber of her being. It was this spirit of devotion that compelled her to open the first American Red Cross, and it was this same spirit and devotion that prompted her to lead by way of example when it came to the field of Human Services.