Alcott boycott – Frank McNally on the Little Women author’s anti-Irish hiring policies

The piece continued: “My first edict was, ‘Biddy must go.’ ‘You won’t get anyone else, mum, so early in the season,’ said Biddy, with much satisfaction at my approaching downfall. ‘Then I’ll do the work myself, so you can pack up,’ was my undaunted reply.

But in time, Alcott hired a refined young lady called “Miss S”, so pleasant she was also permitted to join the family at table. Alas, even the reduced labours Miss S was required to perform soon proved too much. And go Miss S did, within months. But undaunted, Alcott hired two others on the same principle, as both servants and companions, after which she declared her qualified “no Irish” policy a success.

Alcott was indeed radical for her time. She was both feminist and abolitionist, hence the fact that her sentiments on serving girls first featured in a blog called The Reconstruction Era .First, we must allow that such views were standard in the Boston of her time. Besides which, Irish-Americans – not always behind the door themselves when it comes to racism – can look back now and reflect that they quickly rose above such discrimination.

Little Women Bigots…..

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