Stewart wrote for the Liberator, a paper that was very influentual in changing attitudes andending slavery in the U.S. It was published from 1831-1865, and Stewart wrote for the first two years, under the heading "Ladies' Department." She encouraged women not to be dependent on men, and to start their own businesses. She thought that women should rely only on themselves to change things in society.Unfortunately, a black woman writing at that time was scorned, and she was forced to leave the city entirely due to the violent reaction against her, which even came from black men.
Stewart experienced racism firsthand when a group of white men legallydeprived her of her husband's estate after he died. She was forced into poverty and worked as a maid. She became an active Christian and used the Bible to back up her arguments that slavery was wrong. She thought that religion was a good way to get people to do the right thing. Stewart also thought that African-Americans should actively lead the fight against racism, rather than leave it to the whites in power. She spoke out against self-destructive behavior such as alcoholism within the black community, because it was detrimental to achieving equal rights for blacks.
Stewart was probably the first black woman journalist, and wrote at a time when the public didn't want to hear what women or blacks had to say. Although she spent most of her life struggling to survive, she was a pioneer and paved the way for future black female journalists.
Stewart relied a lot on her religion to tell her what was right and wrong. You can learn about religions from all over the world, and see if any agree on what is right and wrong. Do Hindus believe it is all right to kill someone? Do the Lakota Sioux think doing drugs are OK in certain circumstances? Do Jewish people think eating meat is wrong? Do pagans think it's all right to try to change other people's religions? Every culture has its own beliefs that are different from other cultures. Some beliefs are similar to each other, and others are very different. Many people follow no religion at all. Write about how you learned what is right and wrong.