Clarissa Harlowe Barton was brought into this world in Oxford, Massachusetts on December 25, 1821 (Sands 4).1 She was the daughter of Captain Stephen and Sally Stone Barton (Hamilton 17, 18).2 Clara was raised in a very charitable household. When she became older, her mother and father urged her to become absorbed in different types of community services such as helping youth with their schoolwork, and nurturing local neighbors with small pox (“The Biography of Clara Barton” 2pp).3 When Clara was eleven years old, her oldest siblin

Clara was always a superior student and an outstanding teacher. She was given many honors and distinctive recognition in the classroom (Oates 32).10 At seventeen, Clara was given the chance to become a teacher, and soon her education profession started (Maikell-Thomas 1pp).11 She dealt with her pupils justly, and kept them in line without violence (“The Biography of Clara Barton” 2pp).12 She was once quoted, “Child that I was, I did not know that the surest test of discipline is its absence” (Dubowski 27).13 When her community awarded her with “top honors for discipline” in the classroom, Clara was shocked (Dubowski 29).14 Clara decided to further her education and enrolled at Clinton Liberal Institute for female teachers in upstate New York (Dubowski 30).15 After her graduation, she opened her own free school in Bordentown, New Jersey, where she resumed her teaching (Oates 42).16 Not long after, she became very ill and could not even speak above a whisper (Dubowski 36).17 Clara retired from teaching at the age of 32 (Dubowski 36).18

While on a vacation in Europe, Clara heard of a document called the Treaty of Geneva, which was designed to protect men injured in war (Sahlman 2pp).31 However, the U.S. had refused to sign the treaty (Sahlman 2pp).32 Even though the U.S. still had not agreed to the treaty, Clara started to coordinate the Red Cross. (Hamilton 88).33 Clara united all her advocates at her home at 1326 I Street in Washington, and officially instituted the American Red Cross Society (Hamilton 88).34 Due to her persistence, the United States agreed to the Geneva Treaty and she became the society’s first leader (Sahlman 2pp, Sands 2).35

Whether it was nurturing a loved one, tutoring a student, or aiding a wounded soldier, Clara Barton, Red Cross founder, is one of the most inspirational women in history.

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