Clara+Barton

=Bailey Wukmir=

=Introduction= This Conflicts is one thing I've been waiting for. I'm well strong and young- young enough to go to the front. If I can't be a soldier, I'll help soldiers. -Clara Barton These inspiring words show us the kind of woman Clara Barton was. She always tried to do the most she could to help someone in need do matter how dangerous the situation. She always put others before herself. Though she couldn't fighting the war with the soldiers, she would do the most she possibly could to help them. She once said, "I may be compelled to face danger but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them." (Pryors) Clara founded the America Red Cross to provide the help and compassionate care, to people in America and all around the world.

=Personal Background= On Christmas day in 1821, the Barton family received a special Christmas gift; a baby girl they named Clarissa Harlowe Barton. Today she is most widely known as Clara Barton. She was the youngest of her siblings. Clara's father- Captain Stephen Barton was a businessman, and captain of the local army he was also an government official in Oxford, Massachusetts. Her mother- Sarah Stone Barton was a strong independent woman who believed in woman's rights. Her family had a long line of politics and people who severed in war. Clara Barton always put other before herself, and learned how to care for others at a young age. She would care for hurt animals she'd find, and she had nursed her brother back to health after he had an accident (he fell off a roof). Besides this Clara had a very unhappy childhood and faced depression. She said in an "interview" that all she remembered was fear. She closed herself off and became very ill. Its said that she may have suffered from PTSD. Her parents wanted her to be around people so they sent her to teach at a school. She taught for two years but quit in 1854 to sign up for the civil war union. "What could I do but go with them [the civil war soldiers], or work for them and my country? The patriot blood of my father is warm in my veins." (Anderson) She sought to help soldiers and that's how she received the name 'Angel and the Battle field.' She was fearless when it came to the war front. Clara quoted " This conflict is one thing I've been waiting for. I'm well, strong, and young- young enough to go to the front. If I can't be a soldier, I'll help the soldiers." She also became a government official, which was really hard for women to get positions in at the time. Clara Barton was an educator, nurse, and the founder of the American Red Cross.

=Personality Traits= "You must never so much as think whether you like it or not, whether it is bearable or not; you must think of anything except the need, and how to meet it." -Clara Barton (Dragich) ====Clara Barton was a compassionate woman, who at a young age learned to care for others above herself. She was a strong-willing intelligent individual. When she had a goal she found a way to away accomplish that goal. But her work was also an escape to hide from her depression. As a child she was very shy and fearful, and she had many difficulties as she wrote in one of her diaries when she was in Washington in early 1864. " I am depressed and feel dissatisfied with myself,"(Henneberger). She also wrote," All the world appears selfish and treacherous,"(Henneberger). She wanted to help as much as she could and she didn't like doing nothing when she knew that something could to be done. She was very driven and when it came down to helping others or helping soldiers on the war front she was fearless. She always put her soldier's requirements first showing how genuine she was, "Clara was known as a calm and controlled person" (Ditchfield). Her work was self-medicating, "Clara Barton was so motivated by what she did that she would be at her best when she helped people" (Jewett). She may have had a shy and fearful childhood which may have cause her depression and health problem ,but over time she grew to have a very strong personality.====

== =Obstacles= Clara Barton was a courageous, compassionate, intelligent woman who made history, but she faced many obstacles to achieve all that she did. At a young age she had a lot of fear and was very shy. She feared saying the wrong thing and dreaded making mistakes. Clara felt neglected by her family and her family impacted her personally (Ditchfield). Her parents had a troubled marriage, the death of her favorite sister, and her brother questionable business dealing made for a unstable home. (Proyor). 1852 was a horrifying year for Clara because her mother died and her father had failing health. In her young life she had to learn to overcome such tough moments for a young girl to face. She also faced many problem because she was a female. She wasn't treated fairly, when she worked at Borden, N.J. local school a man was appointed to be the principal and was paid twice as much as Clara. She was outraged, " I may sometimes be willing to teach for nothing, but if at all, I shall never do a man's work for less than a man's pay." (Anderson). She was a very driven woman who liked to keep herself active to hide her depression that she had. She faced mental exhaustion by physical inactivity later in her life as she grew older, but she achieved so much in her life,and was a blessing to all the people who ever got the chance met her. She was a driven achiever, but she had faced many obstacles to get were she got in her life.

= = =Historical Significance= Clara Barton a woman who served victims of war and of natural disasters. Clara was the founder of the America Red Cross, or National First aid Association of America. Clara Barton made a impact, in the world and the future with her courage. She had the strong belief that women should be equal to men as she said, “…I shall never do a man’s work for less than a man’s pay.” (Anderson). This belief helped the future of the America woman. She was also one of the first female clerks at the U.S. Patent Office. She was one of the very few women who got the chance to work at the white house at that time. Early in her life she set up the first free public school in New Jersey. She did so much but she best knows for being the Civil Wars Fearless battlefield nurse, “Angle of the Battlefield”. Because of her front line activities she became a legend from on battlefield. She has also helped shape our medical community today. Clara Barton depression and childhood help her do what most women wish they could do in there lifetime.

= = =Work Cite= [|Anderson, Amy]."Profiles in Greatness - Clara Barton." Success. 4 May 2009. Bringing help to the helpless. Web. 16 October 2014.

Ditchfield, Christian. "Clara Barton Founder of the American Red Cross." Mexico:Franklin Watts. Print. Scholastic Inc. 2004.

[|Pryor, Elizabeth B.]."Barton, Clara." American national Biography online. Feb. 2000:5. American Council of learn societies. Published by Oxford University press. Web. Nov. 19, 2014.

[|Henneberger, Melinda]."... Clara Barton fought ' Thin Black Snakes' of depression by springing into action." Washington post. April 16, 2012. Web. 17 September 2014.

Jewette, Philip L. " Clara Barton: Soldier's Friend." __Autumn 40__ (1988); 237-248. __Spirituality Today.org.__ 6 Nov. 2014.

[|Ridgway, Suzanne]. "Clara Barton, Founder of the American Red Cross, A fearless battlefield nurse, her good work lives on today. WorkingNurse. 2014. web. 2 October, 2014.

" Clara Barton (1821-1912). " National Women's History Museum. 7 February 2006. Web. 11 December 2014.