July 10th, 1875, Mary Jane McLeod was born in Mayesville, South Carolina. Her parents, former slaves, Sameuel and Patsy McLeod.
While Mary was born into former slaves, most of her siblings were born into slavery.
She attended a one-room schoolhouse in Mayesville called Trinity Mission School. The school was run by the Presbyterian Board of Missions of Freedmen. One of Mary's teachers, Emma Wilson, became one of her main role models.
In 1886, Mary graduates from Trinity at age 11.
Later on, Emma Wilson arranged Mary to get a scholarship to her former college, Scotia Seminary.
Mary attended Scotia Seminary from 1888-93.
When graduated in 1893, Mary goes on to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois.
She attended this school in hope to become a missionary in Africa. Though as soon as she was ready to actually travel to Africa, she was told she couldn't go because black missionaries weren't needed.
In 1895, she graduated from the Moody Bible Institute.
In 1896, Mary McLeod began an institute in Augusta, Georgia.
In 1898, she married Albertus Bethune. The next year, the two had a child named Albert McLeod Bethune.
They moved to Savannah, Georgia for a year and then relocated to Palatka, Florida to run a mission school.
In 1899, she began an outreach to prisoners.
In 1904, while in Florida, Bethune opens the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls.
Also in 1904, she begins serving as president at the Bethune-Cookman College.
In 1905, JD Rockefeller donated $62,000 to the Daytona School.
In 1907, Albertus left the family but didn't seek a divorce from Mary.
In 1910, the enrollment of her school in Daytona rose to 102 students.
In 1912, Booker T. Washington visited her to help impress appealing white benefactors.
In 1912, Bethune joins the Equal Suffrage League.
In 1917, she becomes President of the Florida Federation of Colored Women.
In 1918, Albertus passed away.
By 1920, the school reached 351 students and accumulated $100,000 through the school. During the Great Depression, the school was able to function while meeting the educational standards of Florida.
In 1920, the 19th amendment is passed giving women voting rights.
In 1923, the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School merges with Cookman Institute of Jacksonville, Florida to become Bethune-Cookman Collegiate Institute.
In 1924, the college becomes affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
In 1924-1928, she serves as the highest national office a black woman could aspire during the 20's, President of the National Association of Colored Women.
In 1929, the Great Stock Market Crash occurs, starting the Great Depression.
In 1931, the Bethune-Cookman Collegiate Institute becomes a junior college, renamed to be Bethune-Cookman College.
In 1932, she is featured in a newspaper article as number 10 of the list of the 50 greatest american women written by Ida Tarbell.
Also in 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected president of the United States.
In 1935, she founded the National Council of Negro Women, which was a coalition of Black women's organizations that wanted to end segregation and discrimination and create better international relationships.
In 1936, she became the director of Negro Affairs in the National Youth Administration.
The National Youth Administration was created with support of the Works Progress Administration. It's purpose was to provide programs to promote relief and employment for young people, focused on ages 16-25 who no longer had regular attendance in school and didn't have paid employment.
Mary had a full-time staff position in 1936 as an assistant in the NYA.
Within 2 years of being in the organization, she became the director of the division.
Mary was the only black agent of NYA who released funds to help black students through school programs.
She made sure that black colleges participated in the Civilian Pilot Training Program, which graduated some of the first black pilots.
"No one can do what Mrs. Bethune can do." said the director of the NYA in 1939.
In 1940, she began serving as vice-president of the NAACP.
In 1941, Bethune-Cookman College creates a program for liberal arts and teacher education.
December 7th, 1941 Pearl Harbor is bombed by the Japanese.
In 1942, she serves as a special assistant to the secretary of war and assistant director of the Women's Army Corps.
In 1942, Mary gave up her presidency of the Bethune-Cookman College due to budget cuts.
In 1943, the National Youth Administration was terminated.
Between 1936 and 1944 she became the chair of an informal Black Cabinet, which was a group of federally appointed black officials who met to plan and set black priorities for social change. She was also the advisor of Minority affairs to President Roosevelt.
Mary and first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt were very close friends.
In 1949, Mary receives the Haitian Medal of Honor and Merit, the country's highest award.
In 1949, she receives an honorary Doctorate of Humanities Degree from Rollins College. She was the first black to receive an honorary degree from a white southern college.
In 1951, Bethune serves on president Truman's Committee of Twelve for national defense.
On May 18th, 1955 Mary McLeod Bethune dies at age 79.
