What things did Stewart say in this speech that could have been seen as controversial at the time (early 19th century)?

Background:
In 1831, Maria W. Stewart, a black domestic servant from Connecticut, became the first known American woman to publicly speak before mixed audiences of men and women, white and black, about abolition and women’s rights. Around the age of 26 or 27, Stewart fell under the guidance of white abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, who published several essays of hers in his abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator. The excerpt below is from her “Why Sit Ye Here and Die?” speech, given on September 21, 1832 in Boston. In this speech (which earned her a significant amount of criticism), she discussed the treatment of free African American women in the North and condemned the attitudes that denied black women education and prohibited their occupational advancement.
Assignment:
Read the excerpt of Maria W. Stewart’s 1832 speech “Why Sit Ye Here and Die?” Download “Why Sit Ye Here and Die?”Then, in a minimum of two (2) well-developed paragraphs, address the following analysis questions:
1. What is/are Stewart’s main argument(s) in this speech? Use at least one (1) example from her speech to support your claims.
2. What things did Stewart say in this speech that could have been seen as controversial at the time (early 19th century)? To put another way, can you see anything in this speech that might explain the criticism she received? Be sure to use examples from the speech to support your claims.
Citations:
Stewart’s rhetorical style was similar to evangelical preaching, so some of her speech can be challenging to read. When addressing the above analysis questions, I’d prefer you paraphrase Stewart whenever possible – put her ideas into your words. That said, paraphrases will still need an in-text citation. For this assignment, your citation should look like this:
(Stewart, page #)
I do not need a work cited page.

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