Maria W. Stewart, America's First Black Woman Political Writer: Essays and Speeches (Blacks in the Diaspora) [Paperback]

Marilyn Richardson (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Blacks in the Diaspora | Publication Date: November 22, 1987

"... enthusiastic, well-written... read it if you want to be inspired by a truly heroic woman." —New Directions for Women

"... the fullest account to date of Stewart's life and an excellent basis for understanding Stewart's work." —History

"This is informative and inspiring source material for today's scholars, lay readers, and 'professionals'... " —Journal of American History

In gathering and introducing Stewart's works, Richardson provides an opportunity for readers to study the thoughts and words of this influential early black female activist, a forerunner to Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth and the first black American to lecture in defense of women's rights, placing her in the context of the swirling abolitionist movement.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press; 4th Printing edition (November 22, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253204461
• ISBN-13: 978-0253204462
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #571,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really brings history to life, April 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Maria W. Stewart, America's First Black Woman Political Writer: Essays and Speeches (Blacks in the Diaspora) (Paperback)

This is the first and only study that gives a solid account of the life and work of this important early 19th century African-American writer. Stewart was a radical abolitionist, a feminist activist and a powerful public speaker. She was the first American-born woman of any race to lecture in public on political themes and leave extant copies of her texts. She preceded the better known Grimke sisters by five years. Before Frederick Douglass, before Sojourner Truth, Stewart, who lived in Boston in the 1830s, was arguing for black rights, North, and South. Her collected lectures are published here for the first time in this century, along with fascinating research on the life and career of this extraordinary woman.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent slice of Obscure History, June 9, 2004

By 

Andre M. "brnn64" (Mt. Pleasant, SC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maria W. Stewart, America's First Black Woman Political Writer: Essays and Speeches (Blacks in the Diaspora) (Paperback)

Maria Stewart was not as well-remembered as Harriet Tubman or Frederick Douglass, but she is an important person nonetheless. Fortunately, she left behind a lot of written materials of her own life and there also exist other accounts form her contemporaries. There are all well edited by Marilyn Richardson into a concise volume that tells a pretty good story of Maria Stewart and what she was all about. Great job and an inspiring read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First woman speaker and feminist, December 2, 2009

By 

Sol Y Luna "Viento Y Lluvia" (Somewhere rainy) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Maria W. Stewart, America's First Black Woman Political Writer: Essays and Speeches (Blacks in the Diaspora) (Paperback)

I enjoyed reading the editor's interpretations of Stewarts political speeches and articles. Stewart, and African-American, was one of the first women to speak publicly to an audience of both men and women in the 1830s. Though her language is very 1800s and filled with biblical references, her arguments against slavery and woman's rights are inspiring and were very controversial during that time period. Stewart was such a brave woman!