Maria Stewart
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Maria W. Stewart ( Miller) (1803 – December 17, 1879) was an American writer, lecturer, teacher, and activist from
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
. She was the first known American woman to publicly lecture on the abolitionist movement. Today, she is recognized for her role in both the abolitionist and women's rights movements in the United States. Stewart published two pamphlets in '' The Liberator'' "''Religion and the Pure Principles of Morality, The Sure Foundation on Which We Must Build"'' (1831), which called for abolition and Black autonomy, and "''Meditations from the Pen of Mrs. Maria Stewart"'' (1832). Her public speaking career was brief, ending after a controversial speech in 1833. After retiring from lecturing, she worked as a school teacher and later became the head matron at
Freedmen's Hospital Howard University Hospital, previously known as Freedmen's Hospital, is a major hospital located in Washington, D.C., built on the site of Griffith Stadium, a former professional baseball stadium that served as the home field of the Washington ...
in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
Stewart died in 1879.


Early life

Maria Stewart was born Maria Miller in 1803 in
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
, to free African-American parents. In 1806, by the age of three, she lost both parents and was sent to live with a white minister and his family where she worked as an
indentured servant Indentured servitude is a form of Work (human activity), labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract called an "indenture", may be entered voluntarily for a prepaid lump sum, as paymen ...
until around the age of 15, where she received no formal education. After leaving the minister's household, she moved to Boston and worked as a
domestic servant A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or childcare, care for children and ...
. Around this time, she began to attend Sabbath School, or Sunday School and developed a lifelong affinity for religious work. On August 10, 1826, she married James W. Stewart, an independent shipping agent in
Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. The couple had no children and James Stewart died in 1829. After his death, Maria was denied any inheritance from his estate, which may have influenced her future advocacy for women's rights and equality.


Public speaking

Maria Stewart was the first American woman to speak to a mixed audience of men, women, both Black and white (termed a "promiscuous" audience during the early 19th century). She was also the first African-American woman to lecture on
women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...
, focusing particularly on the rights of Black women, religion, and social justice. Stewart is recognized as an important figure in early
Black feminist Black feminism is a branch of feminism that focuses on the African-American woman's experiences and recognizes the intersectionality of racism and sexism.  Black feminism philosophy centers on the idea that "Black women are inherently va ...
thought during the
Jim Crow era The Jim Crow laws were U.S. state, state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, "Jim Crow (character), Ji ...
. She also became the first African-American woman to speak publicly calling for the abolition of slavery. Her public speaking career began after she published a pamphlet "''Religion and the Pure Principles of Morality, The Sure Foundation on Which We Must Build"'' in 1831. She referred to her public lectures as "speeches" rather than "sermons," despite their religious tone and frequent Biblical references. Stewart delivered her speech in Boston to various organizations, including the African American Female Intelligence Society. When speaking to the African American Female Intelligence Society, Stewart emphasized the role gender played in preventing spiritual growth among African Americans. David Walker was a prominent abolitionist and a member of the General Colored Association, and he influenced Maria Stewart's views on social justice and activism. His piece on
race relations Race relations is a sociological concept that emerged in Chicago in connection with the work of sociologist Robert E. Park and the Chicago race riot of 1919. Race relations designates a paradigm or field in sociology and a legal concept in th ...
entitled ''David Walker's Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World'' (1829), called for Black people to rise against oppression and demand their rights. His writing address the realities of slavery and racism, urging African Americans to unite for freedom and dignity. Walker's ideas helped to shape Stewart's approach to public speaking and activism. In 1830, Walker was found dead outside of his shop, just one year after Stewart's husband had died. This prompted a significant "
born again To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...
" spiritual experience for Stewart, leading her to advocate for "Africa, freedom and God's cause". She maintained a stance against advocating for violence and instead promoted African-American
exceptionalism Exceptionalism is the perception or belief that a species, country, society, institution, movement, individual, or time period is "wiktionary:exceptional, exceptional" (i.e., unusual or extraordinary). The term carries the implication, whether or ...
, emphasizing the bond she perceived between God and African Americans. Stewart advocated for social and moral advancement while protesting the social conditions faced by African Americans. In September 1832, Steward held her first speech, which was likely the first public speech given by a woman in America of any race. In 1832, she published a collection of religious meditations, ''Meditations from the Pen of Mrs. Maria Stewart''. She wrote and delivered four lectures between 1832 and 1833, including an adapted version of her ''Religion'' pamphlet delivered to the
African American Female Intelligence Society African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** List ...
in April 1832. Although her speeches were controversial
William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December , 1805 – May 24, 1879) was an Abolitionism in the United States, American abolitionist, journalist, and reformism (historical), social reformer. He is best known for his widely read anti-slavery newspaper ''The ...
, a friend and the central figure of the
abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...
movement, published all four in his newspaper, '' The Liberator'', the first three individually, and later, all four together. Garrison had also recruited Stewart to write for ''The Liberator'' in 1831. Stewart's public-speaking career lasted three years. She delivered her farewell lectures on September 21, 1833, in the schoolroom of the
African Meeting House The African Meeting House, also known variously as First African Baptist Church, First Independent Baptist Church and the Belknap Street Church, was built in 1806 and is now the oldest black church edifice still standing in the United States. A ...
, known then as the Belknap Street Church, and as of 2019 part of Boston's
Black Heritage Trail Black Heritage Trail or African American Heritage Trail may refer to one of the following, all in the United States: * African American Heritage Trail of St. Petersburg, Florida * African American Heritage Trail of Westchester County, New York * ...
. Upon leaving Boston, she first moved to New York, where she published her collected works in 1835. She taught school and participated in the abolitionist movement, as well as literary organization. Stewart then moved to
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
and eventually to Washington, D.C., where she also taught school before becoming head
matron Matron is the job title of a very senior or the chief nurse in a hospital in several countries, including the United Kingdom, and other Commonwealth countries and former colonies. Etymology The chief nurse, in other words the person in charge ...
(nurse) of the Freedmen's Hospital and Asylum in Washington, later the medical school of
Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...
. She ultimately died at that hospital.


Writings

In her writings, Stewart was very cogent when she talked about the plight of Black people. She said, "Every man has a right to express his opinion. Many think, because your skins are tinged with a sable hue, that you are an inferior race of beings ... Then why should one worm say to another, Keep you down there, while I sit up yonder; for I am better than thou. It is not the color of the skin that makes the man, but it is the principle formed within the soul".(Stewart, Meditations from the pen of Mrs. Maria W. Stewart) She believed that education, particularly religious education, would help lift black people out of ignorance and poverty. She had also denounced the racist laws that prevented black people from accessing schools, the vote or other basic rights. "She expressed concern for African Americans' temporal affairs and eternal salvation and urged them to develop their talents and intellect, live moral lives, and devote themselves to racial activism. Stewart challenged her audience to emulate the valor of the pilgrims and American revolutionaries in demanding freedom, and advised them to establish institutions such as grocery stores and churches to support their community.(Page)" Stewart's radical point of view was not well received by her audience. During an economical and cultural transition to a new market, Stewart expressed concerns about the state of American democracy and called for a realization that a disillusioned spiritual attitude would affect long-term consequences for the country. William Lloyd Garrison said of her, She aimed to help the black community to do and be better as they navigated a country where racial subjugation was the law of the land. Grounded in Christian principles, Stewart's advocacy for women and racial uplift provided a basis for African-American women to mobilize for a greater national and international discourse. In 1879, Stewart was able to re-publish ''Meditations from the Pen'' ''of Mrs. Maria Stewart'' in the Washington Enterprise Publishing Company.


Evangelism

Maria W. Stewart was influenced heavily by the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
and Christian imagery in her writings and speeches. She evangelized during a time when the education women, and especially of black women, was frowned upon. She once wrote, Stewart was shocked at the miserable conditions of black people in
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, a
slave state In the United States before 1865, a slave state was a state in which slavery and the internal or domestic slave trade were legal, while a free state was one in which they were prohibited. Between 1812 and 1850, it was considered by the slave s ...
, where a relatively high percentage of black people were free. She eventually took a job as a teacher where she taught reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic. She was paid 50 cents a month while white teachers were paid $1. Her salary was barely enough to cover her monthly expenses. She readily admitted she was not good at handling her finances and to some degree people took advantage. Women evangelists were often very poor and leaned on the kindness of strangers, friends and religious leaders to help sustain them. One such friend went by the name of
Elizabeth Keckley Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (February 1818 – May 1907) was an African-American seamstress, activist, and writer who lived in Washington, D.C. She was the personal dressmaker and confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln. She wrote an autobiography. She wa ...
, a former slave, seamstress and civil rights activist she wrote of fondly, "There was a lady, Mrs. Keckley, I knew, formerly from Baltimore, who proved to be an ardent friend to me in my great emergency. ..." Stewart was born free and Keckley a slave, but both women saw a need to be active in the burgeoning civil rights movement of the late 19th century. The preaching of God's word during the 1800s was seen in society as a male role even among some black religious institutions. As one writer said: Women in the black churches were relegated to positions that posed no real threat to the power structure maintained by preachers, deacons, and other male leaders. Women were usually assigned roles of Sunday school teachers, exhorters, secretaries, cooks, and cleaners. Such positions paralleled those reserved for women within the domestic sphere of the home." Stewart believed that she was called to do God's work even at great peril to herself. She used her platform to talk about racial injustices and sexism by highlighting the contradictions between the message of peace and unity preached from the pulpits of the white churches versus the reality of the slavery. According to one writer: Between January 7, 1832 and May 4, 1833,
William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December , 1805 – May 24, 1879) was an Abolitionism in the United States, American abolitionist, journalist, and reformism (historical), social reformer. He is best known for his widely read anti-slavery newspaper ''The ...
's newspaper, The Liberator, published six articles by Stewart. In these articles, Stewart spoke in two seemingly contradictory registers as she described God's interactions with humanity. On the one hand, she portrayed a gentle God who directed his angels to carry oppressed individuals "into Abraham's bosom
here Here may refer to: Music * ''Here'' (Adrian Belew album), 1994 * ''Here'' (Alicia Keys album), 2016 * ''Here'' (Cal Tjader album), 1979 * ''Here'' (Edward Sharpe album), 2012 * ''Here'' (Idina Menzel album), 2004 * ''Here'' (Merzbow album), ...
they shall be comforted"; on the other hand, she warned sinners—specifically white American sinners—of a wrathful and violent God who was on the verge of sending "horror and devastation" to the world. While these two images may seem paradoxical to contemporary readers, they reflect the connection between sympathy and violence that permeated Stewart's theology and structured her concept of Christian community. She believed God's compassion for suffering believers would motivate him to punish their tormenters and that African-American Christians should follow his example by protecting one another with force if necessary. This juxtaposition of Christian mercy and retributive violence also points to the crucial but often minimized role of African-American women such as Stewart who were uniquely situated to collaborate with black nationalists and white abolitionists. As an important figure in radical political action, Stewart helps to better understand the multivalent forces that shaped resistance movements in the early nineteenth century.


Speeches

Maria Stewart delivered four public lectures that ''The Liberator'' published during her lifetime, addressing women's rights, moral and educational aspiration, occupational advancement, and the abolition of slavery. She delivered the lecture "Why Sit Ye Here and Die?" on September 21, 1832, at Franklin Hall, Boston, to the
New England Anti-Slavery Society The New England Anti-Slavery Society (1831–1837) was formed by William Lloyd Garrison, editor of '' The Liberator,'' in 1831. ''The Liberator'' was its official publication. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, members of the New England Anti-slave ...
. She demanded equal rights for African-American women, and called for greater education for women and African-Americans: Elsewhere, she stated more directly the importance of education to the liberation of oppressed groups: In the same speech Stewart emphasized that African-American women were not so different from African-American men: She also criticizes the supposed differences between white and African-American women, while also stating that women are capable of labor: She continued the theme that African Americans were subjected not only to Southern slavery but to Northern racism and economic structures: Notably, Stewart critiqued Northern treatment of African Americans at a meeting in which Northerners gathered to criticize and plan action against Southern treatment of African Americans. She challenged the supposed dichotomy between the inhumane enslavement of the South and the normal proceedings of capitalism in the North, arguing that the relegation of African Americans to service jobs was also a great injustice and waste of human potential. In doing so, she anticipated arguments about the intersection of racism, capitalism, and sexism that would later be advanced by womanist thinkers. Her Christian faith strongly influenced Stewart. She often cited Biblical influences and the Holy Spirit, and implicitly critiqued societal failure to educate her and others like her: Maria W. Stewart delivered the speech entitled "An Address: African Rights and Liberty" to a mixed audience at the African Masonic Hall in Boston on February 27, 1833. It was not received well and it would be her last public address before she embarked on a life of activism. The speech says in part: This very powerful and thought provoking speech about the greatness of African-American people gives us today a glimpse into the mind of an important historical figure in African-American history.


Death

Stewart died at Freedmen's Hospital on December 17, 1879. She was originally buried in
Graceland Cemetery Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Irving Park R ...
, which closed two decades later after extensive litigation and most of the land used by the Washington Electric Railway. She was reinterred at
Woodlawn Cemetery Woodlawn Cemetery is the name of several cemeteries, including: Canada * Woodlawn Cemetery (Saskatoon) * Woodlawn Cemetery (Nova Scotia) United States ''(by state then city or town)'' * Woodlawn Cemetery (Ocala, Florida), where Isaac Rice and fa ...
. Stewart is included in '' Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent'', edited by
Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's then youngest publisher as well as the first black female book p ...
(1992), the title of which is inspired by Stewart's 1831 declaration, in which she said: Additionally, Stewart is included in the first chapter of '' Words of Fire: An Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought'', edited by
Beverly Guy-Sheftall Beverly Guy-Sheftall (born June 1, 1946) is an American Black feminist scholar, writer and editor, who is the Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women's Studies and English at Spelman College, in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the founding director of the S ...
(1995),Guy-Sheftall Beverly. 1995. ''Words of Fire : An Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought''. New York NY: New Press : Distributed by W.W. Norton, p. 25-34. The two speeches by Stewart "Religion And The Pure Principles of Morality, The Sure Foundation On Which We Must Build" and "Lecture Delivered at Franklin Hall" were widely incorporated into a Black feminist tradition.


Impact and influence

Maria Stewart was an African-American activist, lecturer, and writer who made significant contributions to the abolitionist and women's rights movements. She was among the first Black women to publicly address both racial and gender issues. Stewart's work influenced future activists such as
Sojourner Truth Sojourner Truth (; born Isabella Bomefree; November 26, 1883) was an American Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist and activist for African-American civil rights, women's rights, and Temperance movement, alcohol temperance. Truth was ...
and
Ida B. Wells Ida Bell Wells-Barnett (July 16, 1862 – March 25, 1931) was an American investigative journalist, sociologist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advance ...
and laid the groundwork for Black feminist thought. She was also an important part of the growing movement of American women involved in politics through public speaking, alongside such activists as the
Grimké sisters The Grimké sisters, Sarah Moore Grimké (1792–1873) and Angelina Emily GrimkéUnited States National Park Service. "Grimke Sisters." U.S. Department of the Interior, October 8, 2014. Accessed: October 14, 2014. (1805–1879), were American wr ...
. Her writings, including her speeches and autobiography, are accessible today. Despite how brief her time giving lectures was, Stewart's efforts have had a lasting impact on the fields of womanist theology and feminist studies.


Works


Works by Stewart


''Productions of Mrs. Maria W. Stewart presented to the First African Baptist Church and Society of the City of Boston''
Boston: Friends of Freedom and Virtue, 1835. Reprinted from ''The Liberator'', Vol. 2, No. 46 (November 17, 1832), p. 183. ** "A Lecture at the Franklin Hall, Boston, September 21, 1832" (''Productions of Mrs. Maria W. Stewart'', pp. 51–56), in:
Dorothy Porter Dorothy Featherstone Porter (26 March 1954 – 10 December 2008) was an Australian poet. She was a recipient of the Christopher Brennan Award for lifetime achievement in poetry. Early life Porter was born in Sydney. Her father was barrister ...
(ed.)
''Early Negro Writing, 1760-1837''
Black Classic Press, 1995; pp. 136–140. ** "An Address delivered at the African Masonic Hall, Boston, February 27, 1833" (''Productions of Mrs. Maria W. Stewart'', pp. 63–72), Dorothy Porter (ed.)
''Early Negro Writing, 1760-1837''
Black Classic Press, 1995; pp. 129–135. As "On African Rights and Liberty", in:
Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's then youngest publisher as well as the first black female book p ...
(ed.), ''Daughters of Africa'', Ballantine Books, 1994, pp. 47–52. * ''Meditations from the Pen of Mrs. Maria W. Stewart: presented to the First African Baptist Church and Society, in the city of Boston''. Boston: Printed by Garrison and Knapp, 1879.


Works about Stewart

* Marilyn Richardson, ''Maria W. Stewart: America's First Black Woman Political Writer'', Indiana University Press, 1988. * Marilyn Richardson, "Maria W. Stewart," in Feintuch, Burt, and David H. Watters (eds), ''The Encyclopedia Of New England: The Culture and History of an American Region'', Yale University Press, 2005. * Marilyn Richardson
"Maria. W. Stewart"
''Oxford Companion to African American Literature''. Oxford University Press, 1997, pp. 379–380. * Marilyn Richardson, "'What If I Am A Woman?' Maria W. Stewart's Defense of Black Women's Political Activism", in Donald M. Jacobs (ed.), ''Courage and Conscience: Black & White Abolitionists in Boston'', Indiana University Press, 1993. * Rodger Streitmatter, "Maria W. Stewart: Firebrand of the Abolition Movement", ''Raising Her Voice: African-American Woman Journalists Who Changed History'', The University Press of Kentucky, 1994, pp. 15–24.


See also

*
Sojourner Truth Sojourner Truth (; born Isabella Bomefree; November 26, 1883) was an American Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist and activist for African-American civil rights, women's rights, and Temperance movement, alcohol temperance. Truth was ...
*
Abolitionism in the United States In the United States, abolitionism, the movement that sought to end slavery in the United States, slavery in the country, was active from the Colonial history of the United States, colonial era until the American Civil War, the end of which b ...
*
Boston Women's Heritage Trail The Boston Women's Heritage Trail is a series of walking tours in Boston, Massachusetts, leading past sites important to Boston women's history. The tours wind through several neighborhoods, including the Back Bay and Beacon Hill, commemorating w ...
* List of abolitionists


References


External links


Black Past




BOAF History





* *
Lecture delivered at the Franklin Hall, 1832
in
google books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical charac ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Maria 19th-century African-American women writers 19th-century African-American writers 19th-century American journalists 19th-century American women journalists 1803 births 1879 deaths Abolitionists from Boston African-American abolitionists African-American activists African-American journalists African-American women journalists American feminists American lecturers American rhetoricians American women civil rights activists Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) People from Hartford, Connecticut Writers from Boston