Clara Barton

This book is about a brave and hardworking woman named Clara Barton. She fought for the rights of women. Her passion was taking care of others. It took a lot of hard work and dedication, but she eventually founded the American Red Cross. Anything is possible.

Clarissa Harlowe Barton, known as Clara, was born on December 25, 1821 in Oxford, Massachusetts. She was the youngest of five children. She had two older sisters and two older brothers. 

Her father, Captain Stephen Barton, was a veteran of the Indian Wars. Her mother, Sarah, was all about women's rights. She taught Clara at a young age that all people should be treated equally.

Clara's parents and siblings taught her how to read and write at a very young age. She did very well in school and enjoyed learning.

It all began when she was eleven years old. In 1833, her older brother David fell off the roof of their barn. David was really ill, in which, Clara dedicated the next two years caring for him. This is when Clara discovered her passion for taking care of others.

In 1839, Clara became a school teacher at the age of seventeen. She had no prior experience, but she did very well. Many schools wanted to hire her to teach. However, they did not want to pay her as much as men. She refused and they later on agreed to pay her the same amount as men.

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In 1850, Clara decided to move to New York and receive her degree in education. She attended the Clinton Liberal Institute and graduated in 1851.

Clara decided to open a free public school in New Jersey. She worked very hard to accomplish her goal. By 1854, the school was a success and had at least six hundred students.

Later in 1854, she decided to move to Washington, D.C., working as a clerk in the Patent Office. All the women employees were fired. She began fighting for women rights. President Abraham Lincoln agreed with her on these rights.

In 1861, Clara and her sister Sally attempted to help wounded men from the Civil War. They noticed that these men had very little supplies to attend to these wounds. Clara organized a way to get the proper supplies to help these men.

Clara traveled from battle to battle during the Civil War. She did the best she could to nurse the men back to health. She was really brave going to these battles during fights. She became known as the "Angel of the Battlefield".