Clara Barton: American Red Cross Founder

As covered in my previous post, nurses today know little of the history of nursing and founders as they are often focused on the medical aspects of the subject and not on the historical aspect. I myself don’t know much about these people until today that I’m reading their biographies and writing about them. So, in order to gain an understanding on how these people changed, innovated and influenced our nursing careers, check out the posts I’m going to feature here on my blog. I already started with Dorothea Dix, the advocate for the mentally-ill, and now we go on with another advocate and founder of American Red Cross – Clara Barton.

Barton’s Early Life

Clarissa Harlowe Barton was born on December 25, 1821 in Oxford, Massachusetts. She is the youngest among the five children of Sarah Stone and Stephen Barton. At a very young age, she had to learn to make the best out of any difficulty as it was the only thing that could keep their family together. She grew up in an unstable environment. Her mother has had sudden episodes of rage, while her elder sister, Dolly had a psychological breakdown when Clara was still six. 

She was no average student during her early school years as she was taught by her elder sisters, Dolly, and Sally at an age when kids like her should still be playing dolls. She already knew how to read and spell three-syllable words at age four.  However, as she was academically superior, she was also emotionally immature, which led to her not being able to stand school. Her childhood ended when her elder brother, David, fell at a construction site and she was the one who nursed him back to health. She was eleven at the time and for two years she had been taking care of her sick brother. 

• Barton’s Teaching Career

When she was in her late teenage years, a phrenologist told her to teach to overcome her shyness. Though she was hesitant at first, she was able to take on forty students at a public school. She was also able to build rapport with her students and gain their trust and respect. Soon after, a lot of job offers followed but she chose to stay in that school for ten years.

As she reached the age of 30, she decided to enroll at the Clinton Liberal Institute in New York. Thereafter, she met Charles and Mary Norton who invited her to become a teacher in their hometown, in Hightstown, New Jersey. She found a new school in Cedarville and later moved to Bordentown. She initiated the free public school and earned $250 every month. When a man was hired to become head of the school with a salary greater than Barton’s, she decided to leave and go to Washington, DC.

• Barton’s Patent Clerk Career

As she went on from being a teacher to patent clerk, she had to face a lot of changes. One of which is being far from home, second is the fact that she is the only woman clerk working in the patent office with controversies trying to overwhelm her. During this time, she also had to fight with her own sickness, which is malaria. After James Buchanan won the presidency, her job ended. However, when Lincoln was elected, a position as a temporary copyist in the patent office was given to Barton but with a lesser salary compared to how much she was earning before.

• Barton’s Civil War Service

On April 1861, many wounded troops landed in Washington and Barton and her sister were there to help nurse them. Some of the most deeply wounded and seriously injured soldiers were at Barton’s sister’s house and Barton herself nursed them to health. She even asked some food, clothing and supplies from strangers and merchants to help out the soldiers. 

In spite of everything she had done during the Civil War, she was resented by most officials in the battlefield as they only thought of women as courtesans that provide pleasure to soldiers after war. Proving men that women are capable of contributing to the welfare of soldiers, she continued on in helping out wounded soldiers and those that needed help food and clothing. After the war, she was assigned by then President Lincoln to locate missing soldiers and prisoners-of-war. Hundreds and thousands of letters flooded Barton that are giving information, asking questions and requesting help from her.

The Beginning of the Red Cross Movement and the National First Aid Association of America

In 1873, she decided to return to the US as she was urged to establish an American Red Cross. Though she had to battle against the government to be able to have them sign the Geneva Convention, on May 12, 1881, she succeeded. However, the battle to stay on top of things and make it prosper is a lot harder than what Barton thought. 

Over the years, Barton made the American Red Cross eminent in emergencies all over the country. They not only provided supplies, clothing and food, they also provided nurses to help the sick. With all her accomplishments, some people are still not as satisfied as others. They find ways to criticize the American Red Cross in every way they can. In some cases, Barton was even accused of corruption and plundering money. 

In 1893, Barton changed the name to American National Red Cross and abolished the independence of local states. She emphasized on what Red Cross is for – helping out during disasters, calamities and even war. Later she moved to Glen Echo, Maryland where she founded the National First Aid Association of America after giving up the Red Cross presidency. The foundation later on was absorbed by the Red Cross. Barton died in the same city due to pneumonia in 1912.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A NURSE? 

Being a nurse is beyond the formal education one should have. Learning what Dorothea Dix and Clara Barton have to go through to gain the respect of the people and being able to stand all the pain while doing so is what it takes to be a nurse. They are some of the people who does not look at your color, race, attitude. They look at you with respect and treat you with it as well.