Slavery & Abolition: Maria Stewart

Abolitionist and women’s rights advocate Maria W. Stewart was one of the first women of any race to speak in public in the United States.

On September 21, 1832, Maria Miller Stewart, a young free African American woman, addressed a crowd of men and women in Boston’s Franklin Hall, becoming the first woman in America to address mixed gender and race audiences on the topic of abolition.

One of those abolitionists, Maria Stewart, was one of her era's most effective anti-slavery voices.

Maria, who was largely self-taught, stressed the importance of morality and self-improvement to her audiences.

A Credo Reference landing page on Maria Stewart. This page includes links to reference works, journal articles, and a mind map.

Clint Smith teaches you about Maria Stewart, a Black woman who lived in the 19th century, and was a pioneering abolitionist, writer, and orator. When studying history, we often focus on the big picture and world-changing events. Today we'll focus on how one woman flouted the social conventions of her time and place and became a notable public speaker, thinker, and writer.