Black-History.com is in its founding phase. Join the founding subscriber list →
Classroom · Grades 6–12

Mary McLeod Bethune

Bethune built institutions, from a Florida school to a national council of women, and used her access to the White House to win concrete resources for Black communities.

Lesson at a Glance

Grades
Grades 6–12
Time
One class period (20–40 minutes)
Standards
NCSS Themes 5 (Individuals, Groups, and Institutions) and 6 (Power, Authority, and Governance); C3 D2.His.1.6-8, D2.Civ.2.9-12
Reading
Mary McLeod Bethune (profile)

Big Idea

Bethune built institutions, from a Florida school to a national council of women, and used her access to the White House to win concrete resources for Black communities.

Before Class

Students read the profile of Mary McLeod Bethune, including the Key Dates and Sources.

Discussion Questions

  1. Bethune opened her school with five girls, her son, and $1.50. What does the school’s growth reveal about her methods and about the demand for education among Black families?
  2. The Presbyterian mission board refused to send Bethune to Africa. How did that rejection redirect her life, and what might have been lost or gained?
  3. Bethune organized the “Black Cabinet” of Black officials in the New Deal. What are the advantages and limits of working for change from inside government?
  4. In 2022 Bethune’s statue replaced one of a Confederate general in the National Statuary Hall Collection. What does that change say about how the nation chooses whom to honor?

Activity

Students explore the National Park Service’s Mary McLeod Bethune Document Archives and each choose one document. Using a sourcing organizer, they record its date, author, audience, and purpose, and connect it to a stage of Bethune’s career described in the profile: the Daytona school, the National Council of Negro Women, or the National Youth Administration. In small groups students arrange their documents in chronological order and write a caption explaining how Bethune moved from building one school to shaping federal policy (30–40 minutes).

Primary Sources

Cite this page
MLA
“Classroom lesson: Mary McLeod Bethune.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/classroom/mary-mcleod-bethune/.
APA
Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Classroom lesson: Mary McLeod Bethune. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/classroom/mary-mcleod-bethune/
Chicago
Black-History.com Editors. “Classroom lesson: Mary McLeod Bethune.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/classroom/mary-mcleod-bethune/.
Editorial Note

By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.

← All lessons  ·  Read the profile →