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Beginnings of the American Red Cross
An excerpt from “The American Red Cross: Organization and Activities,” an informational booklet published in 1917.

An excerpt from “The American Red Cross: Organization and Activities,” an informational booklet published in 1917.

This booklet, published on May 24, 1917, describes the organizational structure, mission, and financial standing of the American Red Cross (ARC). It details the ARC’s responsibilities toward the US Army and Navy, and its roles in civilian emergency and disaster relief. The publication also describes how the ARC met these responsibilities through the work of different divisions, including ambulance services, base hospitals, first aid training, home health, and supplies.

At the time this booklet was published, the US had just entered World War I a month prior and President Woodrow Wilson had placed the American Red Cross under the control of the American Red Cross War Council. As a result, the ARC pulled out of all Central Power countries (Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire) and revoked its neutrality stance. The ARC would no longer provide services to citizens in or from enemy countries.

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Citation Information
American Red Cross, excerpt from “The American Red Cross: organization and activities,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/03d5ccb3fabed367346c57567967c0a0.
Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.
Courtesy of University of Illinois via HathiTrust.

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Item 4 of 14 in the Primary Source Set Beginnings of the American Red Cross

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A letter by Clara Barton, president of the American Red Cross, to May Wright Sewall, president of the National Council of Women, 1888.
An open letter to Clara Barton, president of the American Red Cross, from members of the Club Federico de la Torre, 1897.
A 1918 photograph of American Red Cross volunteers preparing surgical dressings.
An excerpt from “The American Red Cross: Organization and Activities,” an informational booklet published in 1917.
A poster titled “Help Your American Red Cross,” ca. 1918.
An American Red Cross fundraising poster, distributed during World War I, ca. 1917.
A 1918 photograph of members of the Toussaint L’Ouverture chapter of the American Red Cross, Savannah, Georgia.
An American Red Cross poster titled “In the Service of Those Who Suffer,” ca. 1919.
A bulletin issued by the War Council of the American Red Cross in 1918.
A 1919 American Red Cross press release about an award given to African American volunteer Rev. R. H. Windsor.
An excerpt from a 1919 report of the New Orleans Chapter of the American Red Cross.
A patriotic World War I poster for the American Red Cross, ca. 1920.
A 1923 memo from African American activist Walter F. White to W. E. B. Du Bois.
A 1979 interview with Susan Hicks about her work with the Red Cross in Charlotte, North Carolina during and after World War I.

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