Mary McLeod Bethune was born in South Carolina in 1875. Both of her parents and most of her siblings

had been slaves, but Mary was born a decade after the Civil War and slavery had ended. However, like

most freed slaves, Mary’s parents did not have enough money to completely break free from their former

owners. Mary’s mother and her siblings continued to work on the plantation and do other jobs for white

families. As Mary became familiar with the children of the families for whom her mother worked, she began to

believe that education was the only difference between them. Her love of learning grew from these experiences.

Public schools were not available to African Americans in the area where Mary lived as a child;

therefore, private schools were the only option. When Mary’s parents were asked to send their children to a new

missionary school, they only had the financial resources to send one. Mary was selected, and she took her studies

very seriously, even using free time to teach her parents and siblings the lessons she had learned in school. When

Mary was older, she moved on to Scotia Seminary for Girls in North Carolina and later to Moody Bible Institute

in Chicago to continue her studies. After graduating, she began teaching in mission schools in the Southern

United States. In 1904, Bethune decided to buy a small house in Daytona Beach, Florida, where she would open a

school called the Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute for Girls. At first the school had only 5 students, but

within two years, the student population had grown to 250 thanks to Bethune’s dedication and diligence. By

1923, the school had merged with a men’s school to become Bethune-Cookman College, one of only a few

colleges in the U.S. to accept African American students at the time.

Bethune’s success as an educator brought her much acclaim and some important positions. She founded

the National Council of Negro Women and was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt to be the director of

the Division of Negro Affairs of the National Youth Administration. Throughout Roosevelt’s term in office,

Bethune advised him on minority and interracial issues.

Mary McLeod Bethune is remembered as a woman of fierce determination who helped to bring

education and equality to women and African Americans in the United States.

discuss the role of Mary McLeod Bethune in helping to provide education to more Americans.

explain the social barriers, restrictions, and obstacles that Mary McLeod Bethune had to overcome and how

she overcame them.

identify South Carolina, North Carolina, and Florida on a map of the United States.

describe how Mary McLeod Bethune was influenced by her physical and cultural environment. explain how Mary McLeod Bethune spread her ideas. describe how Mary McLeod Bethune displayed the character traits of cooperation, diligence, liberty, justice,

tolerance, freedom of conscience and expression, and respect for and acceptance of authority.

1) Bethune traveled to get an education and

became a teacher. In what way did that change

her life?

A. Bethune helped many people.

B. Bethune had her first train ride.

C. Bethune got money to start a school.

D. Bethune went to Africa to learn to be a

teacher.

2) Equal education for African Americans was

important to Mary Bethune because

A. she wanted to be a missionary.

B. Presidents asked Bethune to work with them.

C. there were already many schools for African

Americans.

D. in her town, African Americans could not

go to public schools.

3rd

Grade Mary McLeod Bethune Issue 3.6

Segregation – a system of keeping people of different races separate

Missionary – a person who helps people while teaching them about religion

Minority – a group of people who differ in some way from the larger group of which they

are a part

Diligence – hard work over a long time

Respect for and acceptance of authority – believing leaders have the right to lead

Justice – equal treatment under the law

Go to http://www.floridamemory.com/OnlineClassroom/MaryBethune/photo_page1.cfm and

look at photographs of Mary McLeod Bethune’s school. Talk about how it compares to the

school you attend now.

Create a timeline of Mary McLeod Bethune’s life. You can make an interactive timeline using

this website http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/timeline/ or you can make your own.

Visit the public library to find books about Mary McLeod Bethune. Here are just a few you

might enjoy:

Mary McLeod Bethune: Champion for Education by Carol Greene

Mary McLeod Bethune by Eloise Greenfield

Mary McLeod Bethune: A Great American Educator by Pat McKissack

Find these words in the word search.

BETHUNE COLLEGE DETERMINED

EDUCATION EQUALITY LEARNING

RESPECT

After you have found all of these words, the remaining letters will

reveal a hidden message. You can write the letters in the blanks

below.

The hidden message is a Mary McLeod Bethune quote.

Check to see if you found the hidden message at the bottom of

this page when you finish.

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__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ .

T G N I N R A E L D

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H T E I S L E N I C

Y L N E E E A B R U

N E E G D T R O R D

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2. D