---
title: "Maria W. Stewart — AP African American Studies Definition"
description: "Maria W. Stewart was the first Black woman to publish a political manifesto and an early public speaker. Key for Topic 2.14 and Black women's activism on the exam."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/maria-w-stewart"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP African American Studies"
unit: "Unit 2"
---

# Maria W. Stewart — AP African American Studies Definition

## Definition

Maria W. Stewart was a Black abolitionist and the first Black woman to publish a political manifesto, as well as one of the first American women to give a public address; her 1830s speeches and writings linked antislavery work to women's rights and helped spark first-wave feminism (Topic 2.14).

## What It Is

Maria W. Stewart was a free Black woman in the North whose activism in the 1830s broke two barriers at once. She was the first Black woman to publish a [political manifesto](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/political-manifesto "fv-autolink"), and she was one of the first American women of any [race](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-4/14-interlocking-systems-of-oppression/study-guide/CZielrxhDkY9k8KM "fv-autolink") to give a public address. At a time when women were expected to stay out of public political life entirely, Stewart stood in front of mixed audiences and argued against slavery and for the rights of Black women.

Her religious convictions powered her message. Stewart drew on faith to call out both slavery and the [gender discrimination](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-4/7-black-womens-leadership-and-grassroots-organizing-in-the-civil-rights-movement/study-guide/LIHkK6aGrz3QjBUt "fv-autolink") Black women faced, insisting that antislavery debates had to take Black women's experiences seriously. In CED terms, she is the prime example of the techniques Black women activists used, which were speeches and publications (EK 2.14.B.1), and her work directly contributed to the first wave of the feminist movement (EK 2.14.B.2).

## Why It Matters

Stewart lives in **Topic 2.14, Black Organizing in the North: Freedom, Women's Rights, and Education**, inside [Unit 2](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2 "fv-autolink") (Freedom, Enslavement, and Resistance). She is named directly in the essential knowledge for learning objective 2.14.B, which asks you to describe the techniques Black women activists used to push for social justice. She also anchors 2.14.C, which asks why [Black women's activism](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/black-womens-activism "fv-autolink") matters historically. Stewart is the earliest clear example of a Black woman naming the overlap of race and gender discrimination in public, and the CED says that move anticipated political debates that are still central to African American politics today. If an exam question asks for an example of nineteenth-century Black women's advocacy techniques, Stewart's speeches and manifesto are the textbook answer.

## Connections

### [Political manifesto (Unit 2)](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/political-manifesto)

Stewart's 'first' is attached to this exact term. A political manifesto is a published statement of beliefs and demands, and Stewart proved a Black woman could use print to enter political debate decades before women could vote.

### [Freedom's Journal (Unit 2)](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/freedoms-journal)

Stewart's publications fit a bigger pattern of free Black print culture in the North. [Freedom's Journal](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/freedoms-journal "fv-autolink"), the first Black-owned newspaper, shows the same strategy at the community level that Stewart used as an individual, which was using the press to argue for freedom when other political tools were closed off.

### Mutual-aid societies and independent churches (Unit 2)

Stewart didn't speak into a vacuum. Free Black communities in cities like Philadelphia and New York built churches, schools, and [mutual-aid societies](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/mutual-aid-societies "fv-autolink"), and that institutional network is the audience and support system that made activism like hers possible.

### Intersectionality and Black feminist politics (Unit 4)

EK 2.14.C.3 says Black women activists who connected race, gender, and class anticipated debates that remain central to African American politics. Stewart in the 1830s is essentially an early version of the intersectional analysis you'll study formally in [Unit 4](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-4 "fv-autolink"). Same idea, 150 years earlier.

## On the AP Exam

Stewart shows up most often in multiple-choice questions tied to LO 2.14.B. The stems tend to look like 'Which of the following is an example of a technique used by Black women activists?' or 'Stewart's public addresses and written manifestos demonstrated which advocacy technique?' The answer they want is the use of speeches and publications to bring gender and Black women's experiences into antislavery discussions. You may also see her in questions about what kind of change she advocated, where 'social justice' or 'reform' framing is the target. Know three things cold. First, her two firsts (first Black woman to publish a political manifesto, one of the first American women to give a public address). Second, the decade (the 1830s). Third, the consequence (her advocacy fed into the first wave of the feminist movement).

## Maria W. Stewart vs Sojourner Truth

Both were Black women activists who used public speaking against slavery and for women's rights, so they blur together fast. The difference is timing and the 'firsts.' Stewart was active in the 1830s and holds the milestones of the first political manifesto by a Black woman and one of the first public addresses by any American woman. Truth's most famous speech, 'Ain't I a Woman?,' came later, in 1851. If the question says 'first' or '1830s,' the answer is Stewart.

## Key Takeaways

- Maria W. Stewart was the first Black woman to publish a political manifesto and one of the first American women to give a public address.
- Her activism happened in the 1830s, and the CED credits it with contributing to the first wave of the feminist movement.
- Stewart's signature techniques were speeches and publications, which she used to insist that antislavery debates account for Black women's experiences.
- Her religious faith shaped her arguments against both slavery and gender discrimination.
- Stewart connected race, gender, and class in her analysis, anticipating intersectional debates that remain central to African American politics and that you'll see again in Unit 4.

## FAQs

### Who was Maria W. Stewart and why is she important?

Maria W. Stewart was a free Black abolitionist in the 1830s who became the first Black woman to publish a political manifesto and one of the first American women to give a public address. Her speeches and writings tied antislavery activism to Black women's rights and contributed to first-wave feminism.

### Was Maria W. Stewart the first American woman to give a public speech?

Almost. The CED says she was 'one of the first' American women to give a public address, not definitively the first. Her uncontested first is being the first Black woman to publish a political manifesto.

### How is Maria W. Stewart different from Sojourner Truth?

Stewart came first. She was active in the 1830s and is known for her published manifesto and early public addresses, while Sojourner Truth gave her famous 'Ain't I a Woman?' speech in 1851. For AP purposes, attach the 'firsts' and the 1830s to Stewart.

### What advocacy techniques did Maria W. Stewart use?

Speeches and publications. She used public addresses and a written political manifesto to call attention to gender and Black women's experiences in antislavery discussions, which is exactly how LO 2.14.B frames Black women's activism.

### What topic is Maria W. Stewart in for AP African American Studies?

Topic 2.14, Black Organizing in the North: Freedom, Women's Rights, and Education, in Unit 2. She is named directly in essential knowledge EK 2.14.B.2.

## Related Study Guides

- [2.14 Black Organizing in the North: Freedom, Women's Rights, and Education](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/14-freedom-womens-rights-and-education/study-guide/bp2sHi0HFb0u4pX4)

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