Basic Information

 Maria Stewart was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1803, although the exact date of her birth is unknown. She is known for being active in the abolitionist movement as well as challenging public thought about a woman’s role in society before the feminist movement had officially begun. Maria Stewart is known for speeches given in the 1830s prior to the beginning of the feminist movement and her continuous involvement in anti-slavery activism throughout her life.

Background Information

Maria Miller was born as a free African-American, whose parents both died by the time she was five years old. At this age, she was made an indentured servant to a minister for the next ten years. She was interested in the library that the minister had and taught herself to read during this time (Maria W. Stewart, n.d.). When she was able to leave her indentured servitude, she decided to attend the “Sabbath schools,” in Connecticut in order to add to her education (Maria W. Stewart, n.d.; Blakemore, 2017). Miller got married when she was twenty-three to James W. Stewart and became Maria W. Stewart. Marrying James Stewart gave her a place in the Black middle class which was a very small group in Boston in 1826 (Maria W. Stewart, n.d.).

Maria Stewart was very interested in the abolition movement that was happening in the 1820s and 1830s and joined institutions that advocated for an end to slavery. Stewart was motivated to join this movement because of the discrimination she witnessed in her own life. When her husband died three years into their marriage, the inheritance that was given to her in his will was taken by white executors and she didn’t receive any of what belonged to her. She was sensitive to the discrimination that others faced in the New England area where she lived and by slavery and its brutality in the South (Blakemore, 2017). Based on these experiences, she became publicly outspoken about gender and race (Maria Miller Stewart, n.d.).

Contributions to the First Wave

Stewart contributed to the first wave of the feminist movement primarily through her writings and speeches. She was published in William Garrison’s paper, The Liberator, multiple times and gave four public speeches in the early 1830s, with the first taking place in 1832 (Maria W. Stewart,, n.d.; Blakemore, 2017) However, these public speeches took place before the feminist movement officially began in 1848. At the time, Stewart was going against society’s idea that women should not speak in public. She was heavily criticized for speaking publicly to groups that included men and women because it was not seen as a woman’s place to do so. She was one of the earliest women to do this work, after Frances Wright had also given public speeches in 1828 (Blakemore, 2017). According to an article written by Jacoby Adeshi Carter, Stewart was the first African-American woman to make public speeches to mixed crowds that included men and women. (Carter, 2013, p.65) Stewart very strongly supported the abolition movement as many of her speeches focused on things like religion, morality, equality, and African rights (Blakemore, 2017; Other Abolitionists, n.d.). By making these speeches during this time period, Stewart was able to challenge society’s expectations of an African American woman. She showed that she and other women were educated and intelligent. Her published speeches and essays inspired other women to begin public speaking as well (Blakemore, 2017). Even though she was only able to continue giving speeches for a year, they had an impact on women especially those in the African American community. According to Christina Henderson, Maria Stewart was not just involved in the Black nationalist movement that worked to abolish slavery, but she also worked with White, female abolitionists as well (Henderson, 2013, p. 53). Stewart’s involvement in this group can be seen in her attendance of the Women’s Anti-Slavery Convention that happened in 1837 (Henderson, 2013, p.53).

And such is the powerful force of prejudice. Let our girls possess what amiable qualities of soul they may; let their characters be fair and spotless as innocence itself; let their natural taste and ingenuity be what they may; it is impossible for scarce an individual of them to rise above the condition of servants. Ah! why is this cruel and unfeeling distinction? Is it merely because God has made our complexion to vary?” – Maria W. Stewart in her speech “Why Sit Ye Here and Die?” (BlackPast, 2007).

Analysis and Conclusion

Maria Stewart made a very important contribution to the feminist movement. She proved that it was possible for women to get educated and speak out about what they believed in. She was not held back by societal expectations at that time that may have seemed impossible to overcome. She had an advantage being born free in the North, as it would have been much more difficult for her to find a platform to speak if she had been born into slavery. Stewart was determined to get an education and continued to spread her belief in its importance to young people throughout the rest of her career. She taught at many schools, one specifically for young Black girls, and founded a Sunday school (Blakemore, 2017). This shows how she was able to overcome her own circumstances being orphaned when she was five, getting her own education, and then becoming an advocate for the education of other people. One of the major barriers that she faced were the social norms at the time. During this time period, women were not supposed to be outspoken, especially not African-American women. Maria Stewart went directly against this idea and faced a lot of backlash for it, where she might have been more accepted if she had done so at a later time in history. She was also disadvantaged by the situation that happened after her husband died. Unfortunately, she was directly affected by discrimination because she was Black. Stewart may have been more harshly criticized for public speaking because of this as well. She may have suffered less of this criticism if she had been from an upper-class White family. Working within the abolitionist movement helped her as it gave her a place to voice her own opinions about things like slavery and equality. It also allowed her to be published in journals, which let more people see her work and be influenced by it.

Overall, Maria Stewart played a very important role as one of the first women to speak out and make her voice heard on issues that she cared deeply about. This was an example to other women that they could successfully do the same. Although she is not as well-known as other women who worked either in the feminist movement, or in the abolition movement, she still deserves recognition for her accomplishments. Stewart’s work should be remembered and recognized as it empowered other women to continue fighting their own fight for women’s suffrage.

References

Blakemore, E. (2017). This little-known abolitionist dared to speak in public against slavery. TIME.  Retrieved from http://time.com/4643126/maria-stewart-abolitionist/

BlackPast, B. (2007). (1832) Maria W. Stewart, “Why Sit Ye Here and Die?”. Retrieved from https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/speeches-african-american-history/1832-maria-w-stewart-why-sit-ye-here-and-die/

Carter, J. A. (2013). The insurrectionist challenge to pragmatism and Maria W. Stewart’s feminist insurrectionist ethics. Indiana University Press, 49(1), 54-73.

Henderson, C. (2013). Sympathetic violence: Maria Stewart’s antebellum vision of African American resistance. Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States, 38(4), 52-75.

Maria Miller Stewart. (n.d.) Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame. Retrieved from https://www.cwhf.org/inductees/reformers/maria-miller- stewart#.XMyDn6RlA2x

Maria W. Stewart, an early abolitionist. (n.d.). African American Registry. Retrieved from https://aaregistry.org/story/maria-w-stewart-an-early-abolitionist/

Other abolitionists. (n.d.) PBS. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p4439.html

(1855). The Liberator, Vol. XXV, No. 8. National Museum of African American History and Culture. Retrieved May 16, 2019 from the Smithsonian Institution:https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2016.166.41.5?destination=explore/collection/search%3Fpage%3D5%26edan_q%3D%252A%253A%252A%26edan_local%3D1%26edanfq%255B0%255D%3Dtopic%253A%2522Slavery%2522.