Ann Glover, Witchcraft, and the Myth of the Irish Slaves
A story of Whiteness in America.
November 16th, 1688 — three years before the Salem witch trials: Ann Glover walks from her prison cell to the gallows of South Boston. Convicted of hexing the four children of the Goodwin family — her employers — with demons, Ann was to hanging. The poor woman couldn’t even suitably defend herself; born in Ireland, Ann spoke her native Gaeilge and only learned to communicate in broken English.
Though overshadowed in popularity by the persecutions in Salem, Ann’s story persists: she and her husband were booted out of Ireland by bloodthirsty Cromwell. The war saw the couple shipped off to Barbados as slaves. After Mr. Glover died, the widowed Ann made her way to Boston. You already know the rest.
The problem is that it isn’t true.
The myth of Irish slaves in the Americas most often rears its head on two different occasions: the first is St. Patrick’s Day, a celebration of Irish heritage and a drinking holiday in the United States. Irish-Americans, we remember, were not always granted all the privileges of Whiteness in this country, but have since become renowned members of society, blessing us with figures like George Clooney and Kurt Cobain.
