Sojourner Truth And Maria Stewart: Radical Feminism

Throughout the 19th and 20th century there were many African American civil rights leaders who have pushed our nation to where we are today. These leaders have been pastors, professors, and slaves such as Martin Luther King, W.E.B Dubois, Malcom X and many more. Although there are many important leaders in our nation, we have lacked the roles of strong black women in leadership positions such as presidents, governors and even owners and CEOs. Not only were black women mostly in the background during majority of past events including the Civil Rights movement but, all women are constantly looked down upon as leaders in society today. Among the few black women whose voices were heard throughout history, two of them are Sojourner Truth and Maria

Stewart. These were two very strong women who had a lot to say during the late 1800’s. When I think of the word strong, I believe it means being able to withstand or overcome obstacles or forces put in your way. Truth and Steward had the confidence and strength to constantly endure and overcome obstacles throughout their lifetimes. Although, they had many similarities, Stewart and Truth attained their positions in various ways. Excerpts from ‘Religion And The Pure Principles of Morality, The Sure Foundation On Which We Must Build” by Maria Stewart, and the famous speech, “Aren’t I a Woman” by Sojourner Truth will not only give people more knowledge on black women, but also, an insight on the lives of two “strong” black women who started the framework on where we are today.
Truth grew up in a completely different lifestyle than Stewart. Stewart was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1803. She was an orphan child at the age of five and was married in 1826. A few years later Stewart was widowed. In the early 1830’s is when she began to pursue her writing and lecturing. Truth and Stewart both had pretty rough lives as they were finding themselves, but I would say Truth endured many more obstacles to get to her peak. Unlike Stewart, Truth was a slave by the name of Isabella Van Wagener. Truth was born in Ulster County, New York to a wealthy Dutch master. During her life she was known to have had at least five children. She became free in 1827 where she began to pursue her religious paths. With all the obstacles these women faced they both left a strong impact on African American’s in the 19th Century.
Stewart was most active from 1831-1834.

She is what you would call a radical Christian feminist. She won’t take no for an answer and definitely does not have a problem with fighting for what she believes in. Stewart was raised in what’s known to be the first African Baptist church. She’s self-educated through the Bible and throughout her years at the first African Baptist church she became born again. The writer’s religious beliefs became more personal to her and she felt stronger about them as she grew in age. One of her main goals was to differentiate between true Christians and fake Christians. I believe a true Christian is one who is a firm believer in Christ and puts God’s word before anything else. For example if you consider yourself a true Christian you wouldn’t hold someone to a lower standard than you, because God says, ‘’He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”(John 8:7) Which means the only person who is allowed to put themselves above someone is God. Although many slave owners and master were Christians, they still put blacks beneath them, and believed they were above slaves which doesn’t correlate with God’s word. Throughout her lectures and speeches she used the Bible and the U.S. Constitution to support her arguments. The author used a lot of information from the Old and New Testaments. One famous lecture that she prepared was the “Religion and the Pure Principals of Morality, The Sure Foundation on Which We Must Build.’’ After

reading excerpts from her work I realize that she doesn’t believe certain people such as slave masters and owners truthfully understand what it means to be a true Christian. Stewart says, “Never will virtue, knowledge, and true politeness begin to flow, till the pure principals of religion and morality are put into force” (Steward 30) I believe Stewart is trying to convey that you will not be a ‘’true’’ Christian until you grasp the full knowledge of the principles of religion. In my eyes there’s no way you can treat a human being any less than a human being and consider yourself a Christian, which is what slave masters practiced daily. Stewart made many comments that involved God when she made her arguments throughout her work. She used a lot pathos and ethos throughout her work as well. Although she made people feel a certain way with the things she said, she also was very credible with what she said especially when involving sources like the U.S. Constitution. Stating, “According to the Constitution of the United States, he hath made all men free and equal.” Remarks like these only made her lectures more plausible to her perspective audience. The author David Walker had a big influence on the way Stewart thought and spoke to the people. David Walker was a protest writer, mostly known for “David Walker’s Appeal” which discussed the situation on white racism being a national problem. The letter gave black people a sense of pride and unity which led them to radical actions throughout the nation. Like Stewart, Walker didn’t have a problem with using violence to get his point across. She didn’t push the issue on violence, but she did keep that option open if need be. Growing up, Stewart knew the Bible very well. The Bible was a large portion on how she became so well educated. Her word choice always gave blacks confidence when she spoke. For example I know I felt a sense of empowerment when she says, ‘’Many think, because your skins are tinged with a sable hue, that you are inferior race of beings; but God does not consider you as such.” (Steward 29) She made them feel important and most of all, gave African Americans throughout the nation a sense of hope. Stewart eventually stepped down from speaking in front of the public eye. The author continued to get her message to the people through her writings. Her speeches were eventually published and soon black and white women began to follow the path Stewart had opened.
Sojourner Truth was a very strong woman who had a lot to say throughout African American history.

After she became free, she changed her name from Isabella Van Wagner to Sojourner Truth. She wanted to travel around the nation speaking truth to the people, which is what her name defines. One thing I love about Sojourner, is the fact that she changed her name after she was free. She took advantage of no longer being owned, and the name she chose is so powerful. I began to wonder how she chose a name so powerful even though she couldn’t read or write. I am a believer that God does everything for a reason and he directly gave her the task to travel and connect with the people, and that the name just came with part of God’s plan. Truth and Stewart had a lot of similarities in what they believed in and what they fought for. The speaker was also a radical Christian Feminist who advocated for everyone to be given total freedom and the rights to all Civil Rights. She was a women’s rights advocate as well. Similar to Stewart, she also used a lot of political and religious information throughout her literary work. Truth was well known for her speech “Aren’t I a Woman” delivered at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in 1851. In this speech Truth voiced her thoughts on how she feels women are equal to men, and why we should treat them as such. Truth says, ‘’I have heard much about the sexes being equal. I can carry as much as any man, and can eat as much too, if I can get it. I am strong

as any man that is now.” (McKAY and Gates 247) Truth was more of a speaker than a lecturer. One thing I enjoy about her work is that she truly speaks from the heart. I respect her more for the things she said because she’s not able to read or write. I believe since she’s not able to read, the things she decided to speak held more meaning. Stewart referred to a lot of scriptures in her work, Truth on the other hand just made many references from the Bible including where she says “I have heard the Bible and have learned that Eve caused man sin. Well if women upset the world, do give her a chance to sat it right side up again.” (McKAY and Gates 247) As I read this quote I comprehend that if women were given the chance to disorder the world they should be allowed an equal chance to not only repair the world, but simply have an equal chance to be heard as men are. Although she reffered to the Bible a lot she didn’t use many direct scriptures. I would suggest that this is because she was illiterate. Throughout her career Truth never learned to read or write. As she grew in age she continued to speak passionately on women’s rights and suffrage. Closer to the end of her career she met a woman that helped her write and publish the book “The Narrative of Sojourner Truth.” Truth died at her home in Michigan in 1883. She is remembered as one of the foremost leaders during the abolition movement and an advocate of women’s rights. Today, the speaker’s work is still being taught in schools across the world.
Stewart and Truth are two of the few women who had a chance to lead during their times active. These two women left an imprint on a nation that we still acknowledge today. Even though these two got their message across in different ways, overall they both shared the same message. They fought for Civil Rights including Women’s Rights that we now have today. These two women both open doors to African Americans across the world. Before Rosa Parks, Malcom X, and even Martin Luther King, it was women like these two who first began to stand up for our nation. Truth and Stewart were definitely a part of the groundwork to the nation that we have built up today.