In 1831, before her public speaking career began, Stewart published a small pamphlet entitled "Religion and the Pure Principles of Morality, the Sure Foundation on Which We Must Build." In 1832, she published a collection of religious meditations, "Meditations from the Pen of Mrs. Maria Stewart." She wrote and delivered four lectures between 1832 and 1833. While her speeches were daring and not well received, William Lloyd Garrison, a friend and the central figure of the abolitionist (anti-slavery) movement, published all four in his newspaper, "The Liberator", the first three individually, and later, all four together. Garrison also recruited Stewart to write for "The Liberator" in 1831.