Works Cited

Works Cited


"Clara Barton's Childhood." Oracle ThinkQuest Library. Web. 06 Apr. 2010. .

"Famous Songs of the Civil War." Oracle ThinkQuest Library. Web. 06 Apr. 2010. .

"Mathew Brady and Photography During the Civil War - History Celebrities." Web. 06 Apr. 2010. .

"Music of the 1860s." Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. Web. 06 Apr. 2010. .

"1800s Novels - Read the Classics." Multnomah County Library. Web. 06 Apr. 2010. .

"Women of the American Civil War Soldiers and Nurses." American Civil War History Timelines Battle Map Pictures. Web. 06 Apr. 2010. .

The American Civil War Home Page. Web. 06 Apr. 2010. .


"Clara Barton Timeline and Biography." Home » Twoop. Web. 06 Apr. 2010. .

"Southern States Secede and War Begins." Pocantico Hills Central School. Web. 06 Apr. 2010. .

"Economics and the Civil War." American History and World History at Historycentral.com the Largest and Most Complete History Site on the Web. Web. 06 Apr. 2010. .
"Civil War Religion." Civil War, American Civil War, Reconstruction. Web. 06 Apr. 2010. .

“Clara Barton (1821-1912)”
http://uuquincy.org/projects/stamps/14clarabarton.htm

Interview Question #10

Q: What was the state of knowledge in your areas of study when you entered in that field?

A: Well, I first became a teacher. Everything I taught, I had to learn so all of that knowledge already existed. I taught the basics of writing and arithmetic and the things that other children learned in school. I then became a nurse. I also had to learn everything about tending to wounds and all of that other stuff. There wasn’t a lot of medicine and there also weren’t a lot of instruments to work with. I had to use the things I had because there wasn’t proper medicines and cures for things. Basically, everything I knew, I had to learn from others or teach myself to do.

Interview Question #9

Q: Did you ever think differently about religion than them?

A: My family and I attended the Universalist Church in Oxford. So I am a Universalist. It is a belief in which all who are privileged to possess it rejoice. Universalism is a belief that asserts that all people are under the consideration and Love of God. I was born free. I didn’t have to go through the years of struggling and doubt to reach my goal. My hometown of Oxford, Massachusetts erected the first, if not, one of the first Universalist Churches. I always helped the church when they rebuilt or remodeled. I was very dedicated to the church and my religion. I don’t know how many of the soldiers or Americans were Universalists but I did know people in my community who were.

Interview Question #8

Q: What were some of the religious beliefs?

A: Religion was very important to many of the soldiers. It was one of the only things that kept them going at times. There were not a lot of atheist soldiers when they could die any day. A lot of the soldiers went to church on a regular basis. I also remember seeing some soldiers that would carry the Bible with them at all times. Both armies had chaplains that would always be around to help the soldiers out. The chaplains even would march into combat with their armies. They were very dedicated and were extremely important to their soldiers. The armies relied on God to keep them going everyday. He was their motivation as well as mine.

Interview Question #7

Q: What were some cultural, economic and political situations that were going on?

A: One huge situation that went on was when the South seceded from the North and created The Confederate States of America. This all started when Abraham Lincoln was elected as president in 1960. Slavery was abolished and the South did not like this at all. The South thought that the U.S. government was gaining too much control. The whites in the South wanted slavery and they did not want the North to control them. The South then decided to secede or leave the United States of America. The northern sates were called the Union. This is a large reason why the Civil War began. Let’s see. There was a lot of farming going on in the United States. When the Industrial Revolution came along, we started seeing a lot more factories. The production rates went way up and the prices went way down.

Interview Question #6

Q: What were your limitations as a scientist or even as a person?

A: My one limitation was my gender. Very few people believed in what I was doing. Most people believed that my career should be left to men and men only. Women were already looked down upon before the Civil War. A lot of people objected to women being nurses because they should not aid to men or even see them without clothing on. Of course, women became nurses anyway. There were several occasions when people would actually say something to me about being a female nurse. I would ignore the rude comments and let the positive ones keep me going. I never let those rude comments get to me and I never let them affect my work. I kept caring for the soldiers and I watched them get better with pride. I soon realized that it doesn’t matter what gender you are but the effort you put into your work. I put in every ounce of effort I had and it paid off. I couldn’t even imagine what would’ve happened if I would have let those negative comments get to me. I know that lives would be lost and I am so glad I did what I did.

Interview Question #5

Q: What were some of the major accomplishments in your life?

A: Well, I would say one of my largest accomplishments was nursing dozens of wounded soldiers back to health. Knowing that I have helped even one life makes me know that it is all worth it. Helping my brother survive his fall is also one of my accomplishments. I helped my brother live and that makes me so happy. I founded a school for the workers in my brother’s mill. I was also the first woman to work in the U.S. Patent Office. One of my largest accomplishments was founding the American Red Cross. The International Red Cross asked me to start it and I agreed. I was the first president of the American Red Cross. I worked in relief efforts in so many places. I also wrote several books. Two of them were published. I am extremely pleased that I have helped so many people. I think these are some of my major accomplishments. I just had to keep my head up and keep helping others no matter what.

Interview Question #4

Q: During the Civil War, what were the gender or class roles?

A: I would say that women were definitely looked down upon during that time period. The Civil War was considered a men’s fight. The women were expected to be nurses, to cook and to clean. The image of women that appeared in people’s minds were sacrificing nurses, romantic spies or women taking care of the house and the children. Men were pictured as the strong one in the relationship who would march off to war and fight. Well, actually women fought just as hard as the men did. The women who did fight in the war had to disguise themselves and use fake names to look more masculine. I always treated them just the same as the men though. I looked at all soldiers equally heroic and I never judged them for their gender. There weren’t a lot of women because they were back at home or just because they weren’t allowed. Of course the US army knew that some women had to be joining the army but they denied that women played a military role. Overall, I would say women were underestimated during the Civil War.

Interview Question #2

Q: Did you have any mentors that played a special role in developing your interests and talents?

A: As I stated before, my family played a huge role in my career. My father taught me so much about geography and history and my mother taught me how to sew and cook. I couldn’t have been where I am now without them. But there is one person who helped me tremendously. That’s my older brother, David. When I was eleven years old, David was working on the barn roof when he fell off. He was very hurt and he was not expected to live. I decided to help my brother and take care of him. I stayed right by David’s side, no matter the consequences and he finally got better. I was so proud of myself and I knew my family was very proud too. After those three years, I realized that I loved caring for other people and I knew it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I stuck to it and here I am, doing what I love. Without David, I may not have known what I truly loved to do. That is why I think that David played the largest role in sparking my interest in what I would later become.

Interview Question #3

Q: During the Civil War, who were some famous artists, musicians and writers?

A: There was so much music during the Civil War. The soldiers loved it. It was one of the things the loved to do to pass time. It always boosted the spirits of the troops. I loved it too. There were bands in the army a lot of the time. That’s how we heard a lot of music. But there were also musicians and famous songs too. George F. Root wrote ‘The Battle Cry of Freedom.’ Other famous musicians were Franz von Suppé, Stephen Foster, Anton Rubinstein, Jenny Lind Frank Norton, Patrick Gilmore and Jesse Hutchinson. A very famous tune that was always sung was Yankee Doodle. I loved that one! There was also a man named Mathew Brady who was a Civil War photographer. He took a lot of pictures and some of them got published. Before I was born, the book Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley. Gustave Flaubert wrote a remarkable novel called Madame Bovery. I became an instant bestseller. Charles Dickens wrote Great Expectations in 1860 and 1861. The Portrait of a Lady was also written by Henry James in the late 1800’s. These are very few examples of the music, art and novels we had.

Interview Question #1

1. Q: Clara, what events in your childhood may have sparked your interest for working with and helping with the war effort and wounded soldiers?

A: Well, my father was a captain in the war and he taught me a lot, a lot, a lot about geography and about the battlefields for the war. I learned so much everyday from him. That has helped me immensely with what I do today. I need to know about where I am and all about the battlefields I am working on, if I am. My mother also taught me how to sew and cook. I need to know that kind of stuff also for this type of work to take care of the soldiers that cannot take care of themselves. My older brother, David taught me all kinds of information on animals. He had so much patience with me when he taught me how to ride any kind of animal with four legs. He also taught me how to balance on them and how to take care of any kinds of animals. Overall of these things, there is one thing that really got me interested in helping people the way that I do. My older brother, David, fell off of our barn roof while he was trying to repair it when I was eleven years old. He wasn’t expected to live but I never gave up on David. I stayed by his side for three years and he eventually got better. I have loved caring for other people and animals ever since.