Mary Mcleod Bethune (1875-1955) was born as the 15th of 17 children to former slaves in South Carolina. One day while being in the children’s room of the white family, she took up a book, and the white child took it away from her, telling her she can not read. From that moment, she was determined to learn how to read and become educated, a dream she achieved when becoming the first of her family to go to school. Every day she taught her family what she had learned at school, thus began her teaching career. Bethune hoped to become a missionary in Africa but became an educator only after no one sponsored her missionary goal. Instead, she taught young African-American girls since she believed that equality in education is the foundation of equality in all other fields. This goal has been her anchor and passion to which she devoted her life. In 1904, Bethune founded the boarding school for girls in Daytona Beach, Florida. The class grew from six girls to more than 30 within a year, and parallel to teaching, she succeeded in raising funds to expand the school. In 1931, her school was merged with the boys’ Cookman Institute, and in 1941 achieved a full college status as the Bethune-Cookman College. Her nickname, The First Lady of the Struggle, was given to her for becoming a highly admired public leader and working to improve African-Americans’ lives. She was the founder of many organizations, schools, and hospitals. She served as the president of several of them – the president of the National Association of Colored Women, the president of the Southeastern Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, and the founder of the National Council of Negro Women. In 1938 Bethune was appointed to the position of Director of the Division of Negro Affairs, the first African-American woman to become a division head. Her most important role in the public sphere was to be in the Black Cabinet under President Roosevelt’s administration, which was the first collective of black people working in higher positions in government. Bethune stayed in government roles for many years. She served as the US emissary to the induction of President William V.S. Tubman of Liberia in 1949 and as an adviser to five of the United States presidents. Bethune passed away from a heart attack in 1955. Newspapers across the country wrote about her success and contribution to the American people.   Dive deeper into the inspiring story of Mary McLeod Bethune with our fun and engaging printable worksheet! Available now on Etsy and Teachers Pay Teachers. Read more...

Clara Barton was born in Massachusetts. When she was ten, she started practicing her nursing skills when taking care of her older brother for two years after he fell from a roof and got severely injured; she even learned how to place leeches on his body. Barton’s parents encouraged her to become a teacher to overcome her shyness. At 24, Barton founded a school for workers’ children and later established the first free school in New Jersey. When the school became successful, the board replaced her with a man, and Barton got demoted, so she quit. Barton moved to Washington, DC, and started working as a clerk in the US Patent office; she was the first woman appointed to such a position in a federal office and got equally paid as her male colleagues. When the Civil War began, she quit her job to support the Union soldiers. Barton distributed supplies and served as an independent nurse, and therefore received the nickname ‘The angel of the battlefield.’ After the war, she established the Office of Missing Soldiers, helping identify soldiers, reunite them with their families, or arrange burials. The office has became a museum. After learning about the International Red Cross while traveling in Europe, Barton started lobbying and building support to establish an American chapter of the organization. The American Red Cross was founded in 1881, with Barton serving as its first president. At the age of 83, after she was forced to resign from the Red Cross due to autocratic leadership, Barton founded the National First Aid Society. Barton remained an activist for human rights and the women’s suffrage movement, giving lectures until her last years. She also published an autobiography. The Clara Barton National Historic Site, established in 1975, was the first National Historic Site in the U.S. honoring the legacy of a woman.   Dive deeper into the inspiring story of Clara Barton with our fun and engaging printable worksheet! Available now on Etsy and Teachers Pay Teachers. Read more...

Born in Churchville, New York as Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard, and moved from one place to another with her family, until they settled in Evanston, Illinois, where she attended the North Western Female College. After graduation, she began a teaching career, and at the age of 32, she was appointed the president of Evanston College for Ladies. Two years later she was named the first Dean of Women at the university, but she resigned after only one year due to confrontations with the University President, to whom she was engaged a few years earlier. At the time, women began to oppose alcohol consumption in purpose to reduce domestic violence. Willard, dedicated to the cause, became a member of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and served in various positions in the organization, including the first Corresponding Secretary, the Head of the Publications Department, and the President of the National WCTU, a position she served for 19 years until her death. Under Willard’s presidency, the WCTU grew to be the largest women’s organization at the time, encouraging women to be involved in local and national politics and supporting social change. With the assistance of her personal secretary, Anna Adams Gordon, Willard promoted the temperance goals by giving speeches throughout the country, advocating for women’s rights, the suffrage movement, labor reform, and education. When Willard was 49 years old, she joined the International Council of Women meeting, where they established the National Council of Women. Later on, she was appointed as the first president of the organization. She also took part in the establishment of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. In 1898, while preparing for a trip to Europe, she caught the flu and died in her sleep when she is 59 years old.   Read more...