On December 25, 1821 a hero to Americans everywhere was born in Oxford, Massachusetts, to the loving Captain Stephan and Sarah Barton. Clarissa (Clara for short) Harlowe Barton was the name of that outstanding heroine. Clara had been blessed with two sisters and two brothers, being the youngest, she had plenty of role models to look up to. Her sisters, Sarah and Dorothy were great with her. They taught Clara how to read and her brother Stephan taught her math because he was a school teacher. When Claras oldest brother David Barton was injured while helping raise a roof on a barn they became very close because Clara had to learn how to be a nurse, after two years of constant hospitality, David gained full health once again. This is believed to be what triggered the motivation Clara had to help others. …show more content…
She enjoyed helping children so much that she eventually even started a new school in Bordentown, New Jersey. This school was free of charges to all children, it was very important to her that all children were given the opportunity to obtain as much knowledge as they could before they had to start their lives as adults. She continued to teach at her school for 12 years. Although Barton founded the school, she was unable to be the headmaster because it was no job for a woman. Being a determined woman she did not let them stop her from changing history. After teaching, Clara decided that she wanted to do something different with her life. She then moved to Washington, D.C., to work in the United States Patent Office as a clerk from 1854 to 1857. Even though she only worked here for three years Clara was the first woman to receive a substantial clerkship in the federal government, she also had a salary equal to a man’s at $1,400.(CITE) But once again, she was forced to be demoted because a man was thought to be the superior figure in a business, home and society. Because of this she not only lost a great position she also lost some of her yearly