Question

Who was Clara Barton and why was she significant?

Answer 1

Clara Barton was a pioneering nurse who founded the American Red Cross. She was a hospital nurse in the American Civil War, a teacher, and patent clerk. She is significant because when the Civil War broke out, she was one of the first volunteers to appear at the Washington Infirmary to care for the wounded soldiers. After her father's death late in 1861, Barton left the city hospitals to go among the soldiers in the field.