Last Updated on March 9, 2022
Today in History–May 21–TPS-Barat features Clarissa “Clara” Barton, who founded the Red Cross on this date in 1881. A former teacher, Barton was working in the U.S. patent office at the start of the Civil War. Despite having little nursing training, Barton administered aid to soldiers at several battlefields. After the war she established the Missing Soldier Office in Washington, D.C., led the effort to establish a national cemetery at Andersonville Prison, and, in 1881, founded the American Red Cross. Learn more about this tireless advocate for the nation’s soldiers and the American Red cross by investigating the primary sources and other resources linked to below.
Clara Barton
Clara Barton, Humanitarian 1918 book
Clara Barton National Historic Site brochure
Clara Barton–Clara Barton National Historic Site location map
Senate resolution authorizing Clara Barton to continue searching for missing soldiers
Keeping Track of Soldiers: 1863 diary entry
“The Women Who Went to the Field” poem by Clara Barton
Selected newspaper articles about Clara Barton
More Clara Barton historical newspaper coverage
Clara Barton, the “Angel of the Battlefield” Wise Guide
Library blog posts & articles
- 200 Years of Clara Barton Birthdays
- Clara Barton, the “Angel of the Battlefield”
- Clara Barton: A Memorial Day Story
- Clara Barton’s Papers at the Library of Congress: Personalizing Women’s History Month
Crowdsourcing the Clara Barton Diaries? Let Miss Barton Come to Your Aid!
Clara Barton: “Angel of the Battlefield” Crowdsourcing campaign
Red Cross
Red Cross historical newspaper articles and advertisements
U.S. legislation related to the Red Cross
Library blog posts
- American National Red Cross Collection: Newly Digitized Photos
- Red Cross Posters and Tableaux Vivants
- The Tulsa Race Massacre: Relief and the Role of the American Red Cross
American Red Cross website archive September 14, 2001 to December 12, 2002
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