Background
Clarissa Harlowe Barton was born on December 25, 1821, to Sarah Stone Barton and Stephen Barton, in North Oxford, Massachusetts. She lived until April 12, 1912. In her ninety years of life, she lived a heroic life of serving people. From her beginnings as a schoolteacher to government worker to field nurse and to American Red Cross founder, for her whole life, she cared for everyone. Oftentimes, being the first woman in the professions she occupied, she faced a lack of support and repeatedly, discouragement, yet nevertheless, she persisted. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, she wanted to serve her country. Observing the need for woman’s help in nursing, feeding, and caring for the wounded soldiers, she committed all of her energy, focus, and time on this heavy need. Once the war ended, she never stopped her care either. Provided with the resources necessary by President Lincoln himself, she helped families by looking for the missing soldiers and identifying the lost and dead. The lives she cared for had such an impact on her, that in her legacy, she left the American Red Cross, created to continue serving the wounded, not only from wars but from natural disasters as well.
