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Clara Barton was born in 1821. She lived at a time when few American women had careers.
Most women married and had children, but Barton never did. Instead, she lived independently and supported herself. She had three major careers and several lesser-known ones. She began her working life as a teacher. Then she became a battlefield nurse. Later, when she was 59 years old, she founded the American Red Cross.
Although shy and quiet as a child, Barton overcame both these tendencies to become a public speaker. She talked to crowds large and small. She met with presidents, generals, and world leaders about the causes that concerned her. During her long life, her relief work took her to the battlefields of three wars. It also took her to cities and towns destroyed by hurricanes, floods, fires, and famines. Barton was known for her bravery as bullets whizzed around her. But she showed another kind of courage away from the battlefield. Time and again, Barton fought to help those in need. And she never stopped until she succeeded.
▲ At the time Barton grew up, women could not vote. They were also barred from schools that trained scientists, doctors, and lawyers. One profession open to women was teaching, but a woman’s main job was to raise a family.
▲ Besides her Civil War work, Barton is best known for almost single-handedly founding the American Red Cross, in 1881. She served as its president for 23 years. For more than 140 years, the Red Cross has provided relief from disasters to millions of people in the United States and abroad.
◀ Clara Barton’s bravery on the battlefield during the Civil War surprised many Americans. Her willingness to risk her life to save others led some to question commonly held beliefs about women. Her actions aided the struggle for women’s rights. They also helped open the nursing profession to women.
▲ This photograph of Clara Barton was taken in about 1875.
