Essay On Clara Barton

Puritan leader John Winthrop described America as a “city on a hill”: a precedent to England and the land of a truly extraordinary society. This phrase became well-known and classified the United States as an exceptional and exemplary nation. The idea of “American exceptionalism” means that America is drastically different and superior to any other country. In some cases, a single person can improve a country’s reputation. Clara Barton is one among these significant people. She founded the American Red Cross corporation which provides emergency assistance and disaster relief. Barton exemplifies individualism. Individualism is the act of being independant and self-sufficient. Barton improves the exceptionalism of the United States by assisting

in the war effort in the Civil War, founding the American Red Cross corporation, and helping advocate for women’s rights.
Clara Barton not only was the founder of the Red Cross, she was an educator and nurse. Barton was born in Oxford, Massachusetts as Clarissa Harlowe Barton on December 25, 1821. She dedicated her life to helping others. Barton first discovered the joy in aiding others when when she tended to her brother David when he became seriously ill following a barn-raising accident. Barton was only 11 years old and she nursed him for two years. She found another way to help people by teaching. She went to the Clinton Liberal Institute to learn how to become an even better teacher. Barton began teaching when she was a teenager and she later opened a free public school in Bordentown, New Jersey in 1853. In 1854 She moved to Washington D.C. to work in the U.S. Patent Office as a clerk.
In 1861 Barton returned to Washington, D.C.

When the Civil War broke out, she was one of the first volunteers to appear at the Washington Infirmary to care for the wounded soldiers. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Barton saw pictures of her former students, who were now serving in the war. She sought to help the soldiers in any possible way she could. At first, she collected and distributed supplies for the Union Army. Supplies included bandages, food, and clothing. Barton became dissatisfied with not being involved enough, and served as an independent nurse in 1862 in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She cared for soldiers wounded at Antietam, as well. The nickname “the angel of the battlefield” was given to Barton for her hard work and dedication. After the war ended in 1865, she worked for the War Department, helping to reunite missing soldiers and their families or find out more about missing soldiers. She also became a lecturer and huge groups of people came to hear her speak about her war

experiences.
While visiting Europe, Clara Barton worked with a relief organization known as the International Red Cross during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.

She was introduced to a wider field of service through the Red Cross in Geneva, Switzerland. Later after returning home to the United States, she began to advocate for an American branch of the international organization. Barton tried to convince President Rutherford Hayes, the Secretary of State and Congress, to have the United States join the International Red Cross. However, months went by and Congress had not signed the treaty yet to join the International Red Cross, so Barton and her acquaintances founded the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 1881. She served as its first president. Barton oversaw relief work for the victims of such disasters as the Johnson Flood of 1889 and the Galveston Flood of 1900. Barton led the American Red Cross from 1881 to 1904. In 1905, she established the National First Aid Society to educate people how to give first aid and save lives even when health workers are not

there.
Barton spent the rest of her life leading the Red Cross, helping with disasters, helping the homeless and poor, writing about her life and the Red Cross, and lecturing on women’s rights and suffrage. She was an avid supporter of the Black Civil Rights and Women's Rights Movement. Barton spoke at many suffrage conventions, including the first ever convention to be held in Washington, D.C. in 1869. Clara Barton is one of the most important women in history. Never being married or having children, she lived her life as a self-reliant individual. Barton did not require assistance to be influential to others and have numerous accomplishments. She is an impressive example of individualism.
By founding the American Red Cross corporation, Clara Barton left a huge impact on many people in need. The Red Cross changes people’s lives and by doing so, improves the reputation of the United States. This company provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and education. The corporation also helps other countries in need. It shows that America is in fact a “city on a hill” because of the kindhearted people who assist those who may be destitute. The United States is an extraordinary nation and the American Red Cross betters the reputation of the country.