Clara Barton: Pioneer of Human Services and Red Cross Founder

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 a legacy of humanitarian aid behind when she died in 1912. Born in 1821, she served as a hospital nurse during the American Civil War and was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1973. This paper provides biographical background on Clara Barton, discusses her most significant contributions to human services, describes the settings in which she worked, and examines her enduring legacy.

Biographical Background

Clara Barton was born on Christmas Day in 1821 in North Oxford, Massachusetts. Her family's religion was Universalist, and she embraced the Universalist doctrine that all people are born saved because a good God would never create a person destined for damnation (Pryor, 2018). Perhaps for that reason, she became deeply devoted to others. Barton took after her father, a patriot who served in the local militia, and she would go on to serve her countrymen during the most devastating war in the nation's history.

Barton's inclination toward nursing emerged early when her brother fell from the roof of a barn and severely injured himself. Clara was only ten years old, but she took it upon herself to learn how to nurse him back to health. Even when the doctors lost hope for the boy, Clara never did, and her dedication helped him make 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. She earned her teaching certificate at just seventeen years of age and fell in love with the work. She became dedicated to the children of local workers and pushed for a redistricting of the region so that those children could receive an education. Like her father, she was a progressive who did not accept the status quo but worked to improve conditions for everyone around her (Pryor, 2018). Clara went on to teach for twelve years in both Georgia and Canada.

Following her mother's death in 1851, Clara Barton enrolled at the 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). Even though the school prospered under her leadership, she was replaced by a man on the grounds that a woman should not serve as a top administrator. Clara left New Jersey for Washington, D.C., where she took a position in the patent office.

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Clara was on hand to nurse the several dozen men injured in the Baltimore Riot. She was a true caregiver to them — not only tending to their physical wounds but also providing moral and emotional support by talking with them, reading them books and letters, and writing letters to their families on their behalf. She was a true friend to the soldier (American Red Cross, 2016). Her devotion was soon recognized, and in 1864 she was appointed "lady in charge" by General Butler — that is, she became head of the Army of the James hospitals, despite having had no formal nursing training. Nicknamed the Angel of the Battlefield, Barton was beloved for her tireless dedication and her constant efforts to bring supplies to those in need.

When the war ended, Barton ran the Office of Missing Soldiers to help families inquiring about loved ones they feared might be dead. During this period she also met Susan B. Anthony and began advocating for women's suffrage. She traveled abroad and came into contact with the International Red Cross in Switzerland. Her devotion did not go unnoticed by 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 sixty years old.

Most Significant Contributions to Human Services

Clara Barton's most significant contributions to the field of human services were numerous. They were rooted in her compassion for those in need and were expressed through her founding of a free school in New Jersey, her devotion to the American soldier both during and after the war, and her commitment to humanitarian service as the first president of the American Red Cross. She was a tireless advocate for progress and worked to help those who were too poor to receive an education, too exhausted and injured to care for themselves after battle, and too helpless to locate missing loved ones or find their gravesites.

She aided victims of the Johnstown Flood disaster of 1889 by providing relief alongside fifty nurses and doctors from the American Red Cross. She also opened the first American International Red Cross chapter in Turkey (American Red Cross, 2018).

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 began serving others when she tended to her injured brother at just ten years of age. From there she developed a deepening interest in those in need, and when she became a schoolteacher she pushed for reform 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.