Clara Barton: In the Service of Humanity

by David H Burton

Overview

This book is a concise, interpretive account of the life of Clara Barton from her childhood in Massachusetts through her feats of heroism during the Civil War, her founding of the American Red Cross, which she led for 20 years, and her bitterly contested ejection from office which clouded her last decade. Clara Barton (1821-1912) led a life in the service of humanity. Undoubtedly heroic and undoubtedly generous in her impulse to aid others, she nonetheless remained a self-centered individual who could brook neither criticism nor ingratitude. Her life story is told here with sympathy and understanding without sacrificing candor or honesty.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313289453
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/14/1995
Series:	Contributions in Women's Studies , #148
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.56(d)
Lexile:	1220L (what's this?)

About the Author

DAVID H. BURTON is Professor of History at St. Joseph's University.

Table of Contents

Preface
Years to Womanhood
Battlefield Commission
Travels and Travail
A New Beginning
The Red Cross: What It Became
Road to Rejection
Last Years, Last Words
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Cynthia Q. Woods, RN, PhD (University of Kansas School of Nursing)
Description: This interesting book is one of a large series, Contributions in Women's Studies. It is a biography "both sympathetic and critical" of Clara Barton, one of the heroines of 19th-century America. Barton was best known as the "Angel of the Battlefield" during the Civil War and as founder of the American Red Cross.
Purpose: This book fulfills its purpose to present a scholarly and objective account of the life of Clara Barton, 1821-1912.
Audience: The target audience includes students of women's studies, nurses, and those interested in the Civil War, Red Cross, and 19th-century humanitarian efforts. The author is a credible scholar and makes a concise, readable, and analytic addition to the literature.
Features: Barton's long, active life is logically presented and carefully documented in seven chapters, each with endnotes. Both primary and secondary sources are skillfully used and included in a comprehensive bibliography. There are no illustrations.
Assessment: The author analyzes events that put Barton in the ranks of two great reforms, women's rights and human rights, and that drew her to service in wars and peacetime disasters worldwide for more than 50 years. This book is not only an interesting biography of a complex, celebrated humanitarian but a valuable insight into her times and their similarity to ours.

Doody's Review Service

This interesting book is one of a large series, Contributions in Women's Studies. It is a biography "both sympathetic and critical" of Clara Barton, one of the heroines of 19th-century America. Barton was best known as the "Angel of the Battlefield" during the Civil War and as founder of the American Red Cross. This book fulfills its purpose to present a scholarly and objective account of the life of Clara Barton, 1821-1912. The target audience includes students of women's studies, nurses, and those interested in the Civil War, Red Cross, and 19th-century humanitarian efforts. The author is a credible scholar and makes a concise, readable, and analytic addition to the literature. Barton's long, active life is logically presented and carefully documented in seven chapters, each with endnotes. Both primary and secondary sources are skillfully used and included in a comprehensive bibliography. There are no illustrations. The author analyzes events that put Barton in the ranks of two great reforms, women's rights and human rights, and that drew her to service in wars and peacetime disasters worldwide for more than 50 years. This book is not only an interesting biography of a complex, celebrated humanitarian but a valuable insight into her times and their similarity to ours.

Cynthia Q. Woods

A critical yet sympathetic account of Barton's life from her earliest years as an exceptionally bright, quixotic child of inconsistently progressive parents to a lifetime of dedication to taking care of people in need--dedication which, the author explains, was not entirely selfless. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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