Mary McLeod Bethune

By: Grace Butler

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Introduction

Mary McLeod Bethune was a teacher for African American students. She grew up on a farm called Homestead in Maysville, South Carolina. She believed that everyone should be treated and educated equally. So that’s what she managed to do with the help of others.

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African Americans

Mary taught African American students to read and write. The reason why she decided to be a teacher is because when she was little she went to work with her mother and her mother worked for a white family. So Mary was playing with their little daughter. Then she found a book on the table and picked it up. She looked at the letters and words. Then the little white girl said that African Americans

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Be Strong

Mary was always strong at hard times. She never gave up. She always looked forward and never looked back. She was amazing at her responsibilities that she had and always took care of them.

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Cookman

Mary’s college for African American girls joined with an all boys school called Cookman university in 1925 and together they were Bethune-Cookman College.

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Dreamer

Throughout her life Mary had powerful dreams. One dream was about many young people. They were wearing suits and dresses. They were waiting for someone to help them. So she did.

Europe

Mary toured Europe in 1927. She was treated differently there than in the United States. There people respected her for her work. Every single person did.

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Franklin D. Roosevelt

Mary advised for president Franklin D. Roosevelt for problems in education. Franklin D. Roosevelt was against the same things as Mary. He always strongly believed in education just like Mary.

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Goal

Mary’s goal was to help people improve and start their educations. She always made sure that peoples educations were the same no matter if your black or white.

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Harry S. Truman

Mary was present when Harry S. Truman signed the bill for National Freedom Day.

Illinois

Mary entered the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois in 1894.

Junk Yard

Mary built her school on what used to be a junk yard. It was called Faith Hall. This was the start of Bethune college in 1906.

Knew it!!!!

One day when Mary was little she went to work with her mother. Her mother worked for a white family. There was a little girl there which was the white family’s daughter. Mary and the little girl loved to play together. Mary was playing with the little girl when she saw a book laying on the table. She picked it up and looked at the letters and words. Then the little white girl told her to put the book down and that African Americans aren’t allowed to read. From then on, Mary knew she would learn to read.

Learner

Mary knew one day she would learn to read. So she decided to go to school one day if her parents would let her.

iMagination

Mary had a wonderful imagination. She made her school supplies out of things most people wouldn’t think of. She made her pencils out charred wood, she mashed berries for ink, and made beds out of potato sacks stuffed with moss.

Negro

Mary knew that even though she was African American she would still learn to do things that only white people could do. Like read, write, and learn.

Only $1.50!!!

Mary only had $1.50 to start her school and back then that would be enough. She rented a small house, found 4 students and opened her school in 1904. It was the Daytona Educational and Industrial School for Negro Girls.

Poor and Pleasant

Mary grew up in a poor, but pleasant family. No one in her family went to school but they still learned to read and write. Mary would do the same. Her whole family worked and worked but they weren’t slaves. They still didn’t make much money.

Questionable

Mary was a person who asked a lot of questions when she was little, which proves she wasn’t a shy little girl. She always wanted to know why she wasn’t allowed to learn or read. She always wanted to ask the little girl who told her she couldn’t, but she never did.

Rights Are Right For Me!!!

Mary worked with Eleanor Roosevelt about rights. They both had the same concerns and they worked together to fix them.

Stranger

One day, Mary was picking cotton in the fields when a stranger walked up. The lady’s name was Miss Emma Wilson. She was looking for African American students to teach. Mary wanted to go to the school but she knew her parents wanted her to stay and help on the farm. But finally, her parents agreed to let her go to school.

Teacher

Mary grew up knowing she wanted to be a teacher and she knew he wish would come true. And it did.

Unique

Mary was very unique. She was the first child in her family to be born into freedom and she was born with her eyes open.

Vision

Mary had a vision one day of herself at a school learning to read and write. She was sure that vision would come true and of course, it did.

Wonder

Mary always wondered about things. She always thought she would succeed and accomplish her dreams and thoughts.

Xan-A-Du

When Mary died she went to xan-a-du (a wonderful place) because she was a wonderful person.

Years After

A couple years after her college had started, it became a college for women and men. It was called Bethune- Cookman College.

Zest

Mary was a very zest person. She was nice to everyone. Either Black or white, you should always be treated fairly is what Mary believed and she always will.

Conclusion

Mary was a very wonderful person. She always believed that everyone should be treated fairly no matter what. She was a wonderful person and people should always always look up to her.

Bibliography

McLoone, Margo, Mary McLeod Bethune

Bridgestone Books, 1997