Maria W. Stewart facts for kids

Maria W. Stewart (born Miller) (1803 – December 17, 1879) was an amazing African American woman. She was born free and became a teacher, writer, and speaker. She fought against slavery and for women's rights.

Maria Stewart was the first American woman known to speak to audiences that included both men and women, and both white and black people. She was also the first African American woman to give public speeches. She spoke about women's rights and against slavery.

A newspaper called The Liberator published two of her writings. One was about ending slavery and helping black people become independent. The other was a collection of her religious thoughts. In 1833, she gave a speech in Boston that caused some controversy. After this, she decided to stop giving public lectures. She later moved to New York City, then Baltimore, and finally Washington, D.C.. In these cities, she worked as a teacher and later as a head nurse at Freedmen's Hospital, where she passed away.

Maria's Early Life

Maria Miller was born in Hartford, Connecticut. Her parents were free African Americans. When she was three, both her parents died. She then went to live with a minister's family. She worked for them as a servant until she was 15. During this time, she did not get any formal schooling.

After leaving the minister's home, she moved to Boston. There, she worked as a domestic servant. Between the ages of 15 and 20, Maria went to Sabbath School on Sundays. This helped her develop a strong love for religious work that lasted her whole life.

On August 10, 1826, Maria Miller married James W. Stewart in Boston. He was a shipping agent. Their marriage lasted only three years, and they did not have any children. James Stewart died in 1829.

After her husband died, Maria was not given any of his inheritance. This unfair situation made her think deeply about women's rights. It also made her think about the unfairness women faced in society. James had served in the War of 1812. Later, a law was passed that allowed widows of veterans to receive their husbands' pensions.

Speaking Up for Change

Maria Stewart was a pioneer in public speaking. She was the first American woman to speak to mixed audiences of men, women, white people, and black people. She was also the first African American woman to give speeches about women's rights. She especially focused on the rights of black women. She also spoke about religion and fairness for black people.

Stewart was one of the first African American women whose public speeches were written down and saved. She called her talks "speeches," even though they often sounded religious and included many Bible quotes. Other black women preachers of her time, like Jarena Lee and Sojourner Truth, likely influenced her style. Stewart gave her speeches in Boston to groups like the African American Female Intelligence Society.

David Walker, a successful clothing shop owner, also influenced Maria Stewart. He was a well-known member of the General Colored Association. Walker wrote a very strong piece about race relations called David Walker's Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World (1829).

In 1830, David Walker was found dead outside his shop. This happened just one year after Maria's husband died. These events deeply affected Stewart and strengthened her religious faith. She became a strong supporter of "Africa, freedom and God's cause."

However, she was less extreme than Walker. She did not support violence. Instead, Stewart believed in the special connection between God and African Americans. She encouraged social and moral progress. She also spoke out strongly against the unfair conditions African Americans faced. She even touched on political issues.

In 1831, before she started her public speaking career, Stewart published a small pamphlet. It was called Religion and the Pure Principles of Morality, the Sure Foundation on Which We Must Build. In September 1832, Stewart gave her first speech. This was likely the first public speech given by any woman in America, regardless of race. In 1832, she also published a book of religious thoughts called Meditations from the Pen of Mrs. Maria Stewart.

She wrote and gave four speeches between 1832 and 1833. One was an updated version of her Religion pamphlet. She gave it to the African American Female Intelligence Society in April 1832. Her speeches were bold and not always well-received. However, William Lloyd Garrison, a friend and a key leader in the anti-slavery movement, published all four in his newspaper, The Liberator. Garrison also asked Stewart to write for The Liberator in 1831.

Maria Stewart's public speaking career lasted three years. She gave her final speeches on September 21, 1833. This took place in a schoolroom at the African Meeting House in Boston. After leaving Boston, she first moved to New York. There, she published her collected works in 1835. She taught school and was active in the anti-slavery movement. She also joined literary groups. Stewart then moved to Baltimore and later to Washington, D.C. In Washington, she taught school before becoming the head nurse at the Freedmen's Hospital and Asylum. She eventually died at that hospital.

Maria's Powerful Writings

In her writings, Maria Stewart clearly spoke about the struggles of black people. She wrote, "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 ... It is not the color of the skin that makes the man, but it is the principle formed within the soul."

She believed that education, especially religious education, would help black people overcome ignorance and poverty. She also strongly criticized the unfair laws that stopped black people from going to school, voting, or having other basic rights. She encouraged African Americans to develop their talents, live good lives, and work for racial justice. Stewart challenged her audience to be as brave as the early American revolutionaries in demanding freedom. She also advised them to create their own businesses and churches to support their community.

William Lloyd Garrison, her friend and publisher, praised her work. He said she dedicated her life to educating and helping her people. He noted that even in her older years, she still worked to help those in need.

Stewart wanted to help the black community succeed in a country where racial unfairness was common.

Her Faith and Activism

Maria W. Stewart was greatly influenced by the Bible and Christian ideas in her writings and speeches. She shared her religious messages at a time when educated women, especially black women, were often looked down upon. She once wrote about moving to Baltimore in 1852, hoping to find more religious black people. But she found that conditions were still very difficult. She saw a lack of schools and learning resources. She felt she had to rely on her faith to make the best of a bad situation.

Stewart was shocked by the poor living conditions of black people in Maryland, which was a slave state. Even though many black people there were free, they still faced hardship. She took a job as a teacher, teaching reading, writing, spelling, and math. She was paid 50 cents a month, while white teachers earned $1. Her salary was barely enough to live on. She admitted she wasn't good with money and that people sometimes took advantage of her.

Women who shared religious messages were often very poor. They relied on the kindness of strangers, friends, and religious leaders. One friend was Elizabeth Keckley, a former slave and civil rights activist. Stewart wrote fondly of her. Even though Stewart was born free and Keckley was born enslaved, both women felt it was important to be active in the growing civil rights movement of the late 1800s.

In the 1800s, preaching God's word was usually seen as a man's job, even in some black churches. Women were often given roles like Sunday school teachers or secretaries. These roles were similar to the traditional roles women had in the home.

Stewart believed that God had called her to do this work, even if it was dangerous. She used her platform to speak about racial injustice and sexism. She pointed out how white churches preached peace but supported slavery. She spoke to a community that was only one generation removed from slavery. They were seeking true freedom, not just freedom on paper. Stewart helped them think about what it meant to be free and how they should act.

Key Speeches

Maria Stewart gave four public speeches that The Liberator newspaper published. These speeches covered women's rights, the importance of education, job opportunities, and ending slavery.

On September 21, 1832, she gave a speech called "Why Sit Ye Here and Die?" at Franklin Hall in Boston. She demanded equal rights for African American women. She spoke about how black women, no matter how talented or good they were, could barely rise above being servants. She asked why this cruel difference existed. She believed it was because of their skin color. She urged African Americans to focus on their character and education. She felt this would slowly reduce prejudice and force white people to grant them freedom.

In the same speech, Stewart said that African American women were not so different from African American men. She pointed out that many worthy black women were forced to work in kitchens. She also noted that young black men, full of ambition, could only be the lowest laborers because of their dark skin.

She continued to explain that African Americans faced not only slavery in the South but also racism and economic barriers in the North. She said that their condition in the North was "little better" than slavery, with few exceptions.

Stewart bravely criticized how Northerners treated African Americans at a meeting where they were discussing Southern slavery. She argued that forcing black people into only service jobs was also a great injustice. It was a waste of human potential. By doing this, she brought up ideas about how racism, money, and sexism are connected. These ideas would later be explored by thinkers who focused on black women's experiences.

Her Christian faith strongly guided Stewart. She often mentioned the Bible and the Holy Spirit. She also criticized society for not educating her and others like her. She said that there were "no chains so galling as the chains of ignorance." She wished she had received an early education so her ideas could have grown more.

Maria W. Stewart gave a speech called "An Address: African Rights and Liberty" on February 27, 1833. She delivered it to a mixed audience at the African Masonic Hall in Boston. This speech was not well-received, and it was her last public address before she focused on other forms of activism. In this speech, she said that most black people were taught to fear white people from a young age. They were taught to work as soon as they could walk and to call "master." She believed that constant fear and hard work had lessened their natural strength. She argued that if black men had equal opportunities from birth, they would become great leaders, scientists, and thinkers. But, she noted, there was no such chance for the sons of Africa.

She asked, "O ye sons of Africa, when will your voices be heard in our legislative halls, in defiance of your enemies, contending for equal rights and liberty?" She also pointed out that black people had worked for hundreds of years to support others. She said that white people owned almost everything, while black people struggled to get even a small home. She compared it to King Solomon, who received praise for the temple even though he didn't use tools. She said white Americans had gained fame, but black people were their main foundation and support. She concluded that black people had pursued the "shadow," while white people had gained the "substance." Black people did the work, and white people received the profits.

This powerful speech gives us a look into the mind of an important historical figure in African American history.

Death and Lasting Impact

Maria Stewart died at Freedmen's Hospital on December 17, 1879. She was buried in Graceland Cemetery. This cemetery closed two decades later.

Stewart is included in a book called Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent. The title of this book was inspired by something Maria Stewart said in 1831:

O, ye daughters of Africa, awake! awake! arise! no longer sleep nor slumber, but distinguish yourselves. Show forth to the world that ye are endowed with noble and exalted faculties.

Works by Maria W. Stewart

• "A Lecture at the Franklin Hall, Boston, September 21, 1832" (in Productions of Mrs. Maria W. Stewart, pp. 51–56), found in: Dorothy Porter (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" (in Productions of Mrs. Maria W. Stewart, pp. 63–72), Dorothy Porter (ed.), Early Negro Writing, 1760-1837, Black Classic Press, 1995; pp. 129–135. Also as "On African Rights and Liberty", in: Margaret Busby (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.

See also

In Spanish: Maria Stewart para niños

• Sojourner Truth
• Abolitionism in the United States
• Boston Women's Heritage Trail