Maria W Stewart Essay

Maria W. Stewart was one of the most prominent African American feminist and abolitionist during the 19th century. She used her voice and writing to advocate for the rights of her communities during a period when she was barely considered human. Her most famous speech in 1832, “Why Sit Ye Here and Die” was a shocking and powerful speech that urged African Americans to fight against oppression. Despite the challenges she faced, Stewart became an influential figure in the fight for racial and gender equality in the United States and was a trailblazer, paving the way for future feminist and Black activists for years to come.

Maria Stewart was born in 1803 in Hartford, Connecticut to one of the few free Black families at the time, though their

In this community, she started to become more politically active, joining the African Baptist Church, the Massachusetts General Colored Association (an abolitionist group), and following radical activist David Walker. Stewart also attended the African American Female Intelligence Society, a group that advocated specifically for African American women and their well-being. Stewart was one of the founding and most influential members of the society, where she gave lectures on abolitionism, women’s rights, education, and

This speech was the first of its kind- Stewart was the first woman to speak publicly in front of a group of men and women, literally making history. In this speech, she called for the Black community, especially black women, to fight for their rights, participate in the abolitionist movement, and to not give in to society through contentment. She argued that black women specifically had a crucial role to play in the fight for freedom and that they mustn’t give up. Stewart challenged Black individuals to take control of their lives and fight for their rights, saying: "I have come to tell you that you must start now to work for yourselves, for you cannot depend upon others. I have come to tell you that the time has come when it is no longer safe to sleep, but to wake up and work." Stewart's speech was revolutionary in its message of self-reliance for African Americans and is one of the earliest examples of black nationalism and Black feminism. She argued that waiting for white people to grant them freedom and equality was futile, and that they needed to take matters into their own