Maria Stewart

Biography

Maria Stewart (1803–1879) was one of the first American women to speak publicly on politics before audiences of both men and women. Stewart began her career in the 1830s, writing and lecturing against slavery and racial injustice. She grounded her arguments in natural rights, moral responsibility, and the equal intellectual and spiritual capacities of all persons—insisting that liberty must apply without distinction of race or sex.

Articles
See More
Stewart, Maria - Why Sit Ye Here and Die?
Maria Stewart
Why Sit Ye Here and Die?

In September 1832, in Boston, Maria Stewart mounted a lecture platform and delivered what is widely regarded as the first public political address by a woman in the United States. Her speech, “Why Sit Ye Here and Die,” referenced the Biblical line 2 Kings 7:3—the story of starving lepers who choose action over passive death.