Once hailed as the most influential black women in the United States, Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955) began her public career as a teacher in rural Florida, rising to an appointment in the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, where she assumed the role of advocate for a wide range of black interests. This volume explores the multi-faceted career of this important black leader in her roles as stateswoman, politician, educational leader, and social visionary. It offers a unique combination of original documentary sources and analysis of Bethune's life and work. The editors have selected more than seventy documents spanning fifty-three years of the public life of this remarkable woman. Included are letters, memoranda, position papers, newspaper columns, interviews, speeches, and minutes of meetings.