Q: A proponent of women’s suffrage and black civil rights, this woman is recognized for organizing the American Red Cross.
A: At the start of the Civil War, Clara Barton began tending to wounded soldiers. After the First Battle of Bull run, she established an agency to collect and distribute supplies to wounded soldiers and later received permission to travel to the front lines and organize the hospitals there. Barton also helped develop nursing as a skilled profession during the war.
In 1873, Barton started a movement to gain recognition for the International Committee of the Red Cross by the U.S. government. She succeeded during the administration of President James Garfield and became president of the American branch of the society which was founded in 1881 in New York.
She died in Glen Echo, MD. Her home is now the Clara Barton National Historic Site and was one of the first dedicated to the accomplishments of a woman.
