Mary McLeod Bethune Reading Guide

Chapter 1:
1. Where and when was Mary McLeod Bethune born?

____Near Mayesville, South Carolina_in 1875____________________

2. How did Mary McLeod Bethune show the character trait of diligence
when she decided she would try hard to learn to read at Miss Wilsons
school?
_Mary promised herself that one day she would learn to read when the
little girl told her she could not read the book she had chosen. She
wanted to prove that the little girl was wrong.

3. Describe Miss Wilsons school.

There was no building. The students met in a church and sat on rough
benches.

4. What happened after Miss Wilson visited Marys family?

Mary got the chance to go to school because a woman offered to pay for
it and send a selected girl to Scotia Seminary,

5. Where did Mary go to high school?

Scotia Seminary

Chapter 2:
1. How did Scotia Seminary contrast to Miss Wilsons school and her
home?
 Scotia Seminary was in a brick building. There were beds to sleep in, and
table/utensils/plates for dining. Her school growing up was a simple wood
cabin with no fancy things in it.

2. How did Mary learn how to argue for her ideas?

By participating on the schools debate team.

3. Why couldnt Mary go to Africa to be a missionary?

Because the churches that sent missionaries to Africa did not want to
send African Americans.

4. Who opened the Haines Institute for African American children in

Augusta, Ga.? (this is where Mary had her first job as a teacher)

Lucy Laney opened the Haines Institute in Augusta, GA

5. What did Laney teach Mary McLeod Bethune?

She taught Mary how to teach and run a school.

Chapter 3:
1. Why did Bethune decide to start her own school in Daytona Beach,
Florida?

Because many African American lived there.

 2. How did the community help Bethune start her school?

They gave her clothes, dishes, and food. Some helped build the school.
Others agreed to teach without pay.

3. The community and Bethune had something more than money when
Bethune opened her first school. They had B (respect)
A. diligence
B. respect
C. liberty
D. tolerance

4. Describe Bethunes school when it first opened and the growth

process from 1904 until 1931.

When it first opened in 1904, there were 5 students. Two years later it
had 250 students. There were also night classes so adults could come
learn after work.

5. In what other ways did Bethune help the community besides starting a
school?

She started a hospital and a chorus (choir) that sang for people in
jails and fancy hotels. She also started clubs.

Chapter 4:
1. What does a volunteer do?

A person who chooses to help in their community without getting paid.

 2. Why did Bethune start clubs for African American women?

She started clubs to harness the great power of African American

women. They worked together in their community.

3. How did the NYA help teenagers and young adults?

The NYA (National Youth Association) helped young adults and teenagers
by creating jobs for them.

4. Why did Bethune agree to help Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert
Hoover?
She agreed to help the Presidents because she had great respect for
authority of Presidents, so she was happy to take part.

5. Why did Bethune move to Washington, D.C.?

So that she could work with the President and other leaders, to make
sure that the NYA helped African Americans.

Chapter 5:
1. Which two countries recognized Bethunes work?
____Haiti____________________
____Liberia__________________

2. How was Mary McLeod Bethune honored in 1974?

She was the first woman and first African American to be honored with
a statue in a public park in Washington, D. C.

3. How did Bethune dress?

Richly colored clothes, capes, and carrying a cane.

4. When did Bethune finally get to go to Africa?

She finally went in 1952.

5. What does the National Council of Negro Women do?

This group helps African American women and children and their
communities.

Vocabulary to Learn:
Diligence Missionary Justice

Volunteer Depression Authority

Segregation Debate Team

Respect for an acceptance of authority