African American or Black Cowboys in History and Fiction
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There were a lot of Black or African Americans on the American frontier. Of these a lot were cowboys. When I took a course in twentieth century history some time ago the professor said that some good things did come out of the 1960’s. One of these was the discovery that there were women, and Indians and black people in American history. History texts do seem to overlook these groups.
Popular culture has misled us about the Black population on the frontier and those working as cowboys. Until the sixties Black Culture was separate from white culture. Music for example had Black audiences and Black performers. The movie industry made movies for white audiences and some movies were made separately for Black audiences. Mainstream westerns showed cowboys as white heroes. I saw a documentary, probably on the History Channel about Westerns with Black actors and Black cowboys for the Black audience.
Blacks also worked at a variety of other jobs in the west, store clerks, farmers, and railroad workers. The Negro Cowboys estimates at least five thousand black cowboys in the last part of the nineteenth century. According to Hardaway Kenneth Wiggins Porter, a University of Oregon history professor, there were closer to eight thousand, maybe nine thousand. That would be about 25 percent of the 35,000 cowboys in the frontier cattle industry.
Conditions for Black cowboys were not perfect but they were probably better off socially and economically, according to Porter, than that in the South. There was still prejudice and restrictions of the Blacks in the west as well as elsewhere. They did however get the same pay as the other cowboys, they shared bunkhouses with the white cowboys and they worked and ate together, according to Durham and Jones. “ usually two or three members of a trail crew of a total of eleven would be Black. A few but not many became ranch and trail bosses. Many African American cowboys have become well known to historians of the subject.
In other words it was not idyllic but it was not too bad either.
In addition to working as cowboys, African Americans were miners, farmers, soldiers and many other frontier occupations. Also some were outlaws In the Children’s book Negroes In the Early West, author olive W. Burt has chapters on:
· Explores,
· Mountain Men
· Founders of Cities
· Business Men
· Soldiers
· Cowboys
· Women
The question comes to mind as to why Blacks are so lacking in Western History and Fiction.
Although there were more African American cowboys than any other minority they are absent from the Western Mythology. In the preface to The Negro Cowboys the authors say they found “…an unimagined number of Negro cowboys, who had been dropped from the history of the West.” Since both authors are professors of literature they approach their research though in terms of memoirs of men who knew the west. In their Epilogue they write about the West in fiction.
Blacks rarely appear in Western fiction they note. Western fiction, they contend started in 1902 with Owen Wister’s’ The Virginian. Wister, the feel, was a romantic and presented a romanticized picture of the West. There are romanticized cattlemen in the novel but no African Americans. Wister visited the west but he went fishing and hunting with cattlemen or guides. “He saw cowboys at leisure, but rarely at work.”
The authors think that Wister shared the racial prejudice of his times. Wister’s work, they feel, shows an admiration for the Anglo –Saxon, the conquering white man.
“…Wister’s novel was the great archetype that established the western as a distinct genre of popular fiction. “…Contained all the essential elements: a strong, simple and thoroughly good hero; a villain who was incarnate evil; a heroine who was pure and beautiful as well as stupid or stubborn enough to distrust the hero for at least half the story…”
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Texas Ranch House link
Oddly these observations are much like what my history teacher said about TV and movie westerns, at least as regards women. Generally the women, instead of helping the hero were there to be rescued or they just got in the way somehow.
The popular culture of Wister’s time was the same as Thomas Dixon’s The Clansman (1905) the book upon which the movie The Birth of a Nation was based.
The Virginian set the pattern for a genre of fiction in books, short stories, movies and television.
Since World War II there has been some change in the biases. The authors cite a Saturday Evening Post story of 1950: “Stampede! By Allan R. Bosworth. The Black Cowboy is portrayed much as real blacks were treated on actual drives. Stories by Ernest Haycox, Clay Fisher and Jack Shafer.
Another reason that Black Cowboys may not have been portrayed is the image of the cowboy as a mythical hero. He couldn’t be any kind of minority ethnically or culturally. WASP is the old word: White, Anglo-Saxon-Protestant.
In summation, there were a lot of African Americans on the frontier and many were cowboys. For a variety of reasons they have not been noted in our histories or popular literature. They are slowly getting recognition.
Sources:
The Negro Cowboys 1965 by Phillip Durham and Everett L. Jones
Negroes in the early west 1969 by Olive W. Burt
African American Cowboys by Roger D. Hardaway reprinted in part on Texas Ranch House.
Did you know there were a large number of Black Cowboys in the Old West?
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- Western Short Story - Hired On
A young man hires on as a cook on a cattle drive, but soon takes on the biggest challenge of his life.
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Thanks for reading and commenting. It seems like a bit of history that needs clarification.
Hi Dahoglund! Yes, there were lots of black's that left the south after 1865 for a better start out west. A great old movie starring Sidney Poitier called Buck and the Preacher provides a glimpse of this.
It is unfortunate that a great deal of this history is not known. Very unfortunate. However, as you have shown there are books and museums in some western states that provide the history and information many lack.
Thanks for your research and providing a great hub for others.
Voted up, up and away!
Awesome Hub, Dahoglund.
My all-time favorite western starred Danny Glover, along with Kevin Kline, Kevin Costner and Scott Glenn -- Silverado -- a powerful story of greed, prejudice and injustice.
Prejudice has deprived us of a great deal about our past.
One ancient culture in Europe, according to my research, may have been matriarchal before the heavy influence of patriarchal Indo-Europeans stirred things up. The Etruscans were part of that group. In historical times they had already become patriarchal, but still highly egalitarian. Both the Romans and the Greeks despised them for the power they "gave" their women.
Yes, I heard the figure was 1 in 4 cowboys in the West in the 1800s was black, which squares with your figure of 25%. That's a lot given their absence in historical texts, fiction, and film as you note in this informative hub. Rated up and interesting.
Dexter, I have heard of that movie. I'll have to look it up. I thought this information was not well enough known. Until recently historians were no very concerned about the ordinary people but only with leaders and prominent figures.
lone77,
I know I've seen Silverado but I cannot recall. I'll have to see it again. In the case of African Americans Cowboys it seems they are unknown so much because of overt prejudice against them but because of a bias for Nordic types.Thanks for commenting.
PWalker
Yes, I was a bit surprised myself. More surprising is that they got along so well. Apparently the nature of driving cattle made it necessary for everyone to work as a team.I suspect many might have been Buffalo Soldiers. Black men in the Army together with white officers. These soldiers I think gained respect on the frontier.
Thanks for commenting and voting.
I seem to remember cooks were afro-American in those old TV shows, but not the cowboys. It's something that I haven't thought about, but it is a glaring omission. This was very interesting and shows how easy it is to paint an inaccurate picture of those times. Cheers
Cooks were often African Americans. The job they seldom had was trail boss.Thanks for the comment.
Yes even the Movie makers and TV stations changed history.
Part of it is to separate the myth from the history.Thanks for the comment.
Excellent Hub. I knew that history lessons left out good portions of the truth especially in regards to women. I'm going to check out the movie Dex suggested. Thanks for the interesting read.
I will vote up and plead to some ignorance on black cowboys. I can't imagine how they would get on with cowboys who fought for the south in the American Civil War. Many of the Confederates who did fight, however, were not slave owners. The wealthy could duck out of being conscripted into the army simply by having slaves. Rich man's war, poor man's fight. With that in mind, maybe white southern ex-confederates and black cowboys could get along okay together.
I haven't read The Clansman but I have seen Birth of a Nation. It is a great movie up until the end when racist politics take over and the KKK become the 'heroes' of the hour. There has been a lot of controversy over that film. Should the last ten minutes be cut for future viewers because of the racist elements? I say no because it is part of the history of the film, the film maker and the USA in general. People need to remember. Young people need to know. If race relations in the USA are a lot better now then the film shows just how far the USA has come since the days of the silent movie. It is also a warning to the future of how bad things could become.
I remember Buck and the Preacher. It was a most unusual Western but didn't really deal with the black cowboy but, instead, the black settler.
Hi suziecat
Social history is a relatively new field of study.It is what interests me. Traditional history dealt mostly with Wars, politics,Kings etc. Very little history dealt with ordinary people.Women sort of got left out unless they were Queens of other political figures.Since minorities tend to be in lowly positions they go unnoticed in history, at least as individuals.Teachers are not necessarily misleading as being themselves ignorant of the facts.
Thanks for your comment.
Hi Rod,
The Whites and Blacks apparently got along together as a working team. After the drives were over might have been different. There were probably both Union and Confederate veterans in the crews who also had to get along.
The attitude of a Southerner is one I try to work with in a short story series I started about a"Galvanized Yankee." They were confederate POW's who were allowed out of confinement if they joined the Union Army. They were sent to the frontier to avoid complications of fighting other southerners.On the outside they became much like the northerners in mannerisms etc.
Thanks for commenting and contributing you insights.
I have not seen Birth of a Nation but it is rated as an all time important film.
Thanks WillStarr.I appreciate the comment.I read your story. I would have read it before but I wasn't aware of it.
Good and important hub raising awareness of the part blacks have played in American history. Well done. Voted up, useful and interesting.
Peggy W,
Thanks for commenting and voting.I've had a long time interest in folklore, myth and the West.Black people were a part of the west more than most of us realize. All sorts of people headed west after the Civil War so the South has left a mark on the west.There were outlaws, business people among the Blacks as well as cowboys, but I just wanted to concentrate on the cowboys for now.
So much of our love of the old west was kindled by the motion picture industry which basically picked the cowboy out of the traveling wild west shows and turned him in to fictional western heroes of the big screen. Many of these figures came out of Oklahoma off of the larger cattle ranches. Most who worked the wild west shows did it for the money as it paid better than working as a ranch hand. Tom Mix was among this crowd. Some of the travel wild west shows would "winter" in Hollywood CA and this is how they really first came to the attention of the movie industry as they would put on shows locally while waiting for the weather to warm up to the east. Understanding the times, the prejudices which were wide-spread in the American public spilled over on to the motion picture screen leaving the African-American cowboy literally out of the picture. Ironically, it was producer Mel Brooks who eventually used a black cowboy as his centerpiece in the western spoof, Blazing Saddles almost 100 years later. I think the wild west would have remained rather obscure in our history had it now found ground on the silver screen. WB
Thanks for commenting and the added information.To a large extent I wanted to document the fact of African Americans in the real west and working as cowboys. Much more can be said for other role. Mostly the kinds of things that white people did except for the more prestigious roles, although some did own ranches,I believe.
As far as movies are concerned, I recall a show which I thnk was on the History channel about cowboys in the movies that were produced for Black audiences.The movie industry was segregated back then.
Thanks for this really absorbing read. I had absolutely no idea that there were black cowboys. Until today I'd never seen a picture of a black cowboy - that's how much it's buried in history. Do black people to this day still work on ranches as cowboys? I worked at a ranch briefly in Missouri (I'm from England) and there were lots of romantic pictures of famous cowboys but not a single black person.
Years ago I found a non-fiction children's book about African American cowboys. It was the first time I had ever realized that they had been such a presence in the West. As a teacher of African American children, I snatched the book up to have in my classroom. I love that I now teach US History as part of my curriculum and am able to include this part of history in my teaching. It is unfortunate that most people, including African Americans, have no idea of this part of our history. Thanks for bringing this great topic to light and congratulations on your hub of the day!
i was kind of schocked to watch the movie "wild wild west" because the cowboy in the movie was a black. I couldnt help but wonder, really? where there really african American cowboys? Or is this just an invention of a creative movie director? Thanks for answering my unspoken questions. And congratulations on hub of the day
I have know about blacks being a part of the western movement after seeing a documentary some years ago. It was refreshing to read your hub about this lightly documented history. Your hub marks another location of information when people are searching for some answers. Hubs like this help to preserve or at least open people's eyes to the history that is not properly documented or taught. Good hub! I voted up and awesome!
da, very good HUB I enjoyed it. Check yourself you double printed a few paragraphs. Congrats on the HUB of the day!
Peter
Thank you so much for this wonderful Hub. I will tweet this and post a link to this on my website. African-American children, especially, need to know this information. Voted Up! I also met an African-American Park Ranger at Yosemite who told me about the Buffalo Soldiers. He sent me a great video on the Buffalo Soldier. Again, great Hub!
Congratulations. Great article. Have heard mention of Black Cowboys but never thought they were as many as 25%. Will forward the word.
CONGRATULATIONS on getting the Hub of the Day! Well deserved and an important topic for those who were unaware of the part that black cowboys played in settling the West. Of course the Buffalo Soldiers also played their part. Nice to bring this out of obscurity.
I just saw the cowboy from my television and I found something real from you, especially about the history. I had never know about this before. Thanks, brother for share with us. Well done and vote up!
Prasetio
Very interesting hub! Old movies do depict some black cowboys but not many to my recollection, certainly not the close to the 25% mark. Thanks for the accurate research and educational hub :)
Congratulations for your Hub being named a Hub of the Day! More accurate histories like this one need to be made as public as possible. I've read it again and shared with my followers. Cheers!
Great hub. Really interesting. These types of hubs should deserve to be the hub of the day. Keep up the good work. Following you. :)
Congratulations on hub of the day. Enjoyed this hub. Good work.
This is an unusual and interesting Hub, and certainly deserves the Hub of the Day status. Congratulations.
I was born in the West, and we had 'local history' at my school - but no mention of anyone black, or women either.
Congratulations both on a great hub and for being named Hub of the Day.
The black cowboy tradition continues today, especially in the rodeo circuit called Bill Pickett Rodeo, named after a black cowboy who is credited with having first developed the rodeo event called bulldogging.
This is a fascinating hub, and congratulations on receiving hub of the day, it is much deserved! You realy can learn something new everyday!
dahoglund
Good hub. This is one of my areas of study as well. So this is not new info for me.
Some famous Black Outlaws back in the day who were literally white-washed out the history books were Cherokee Bill and Isom Dart.
A famous Black lawman was Deputy US Marshall Bass Reeves. It said that the character Clint Eastwood played in the movie “Hang em High” was based on the life and career of Reeves. Google these guys names and see what you come up with.
You don't hear about Black Cowboys because Black men (and blacks in general) weren’t seen as worthy of mention by White writers of the day. They weren't seen as being of equal value as White men or of White people period.
Same thing with the portrayal of Indians in the movies. They were always shown as the bad guys, as savages attacking the good white settlers, but what they forgot to tell us is, that they were fighting to protect their ancestral lands that white settlers and the United States government was trying to take away from them by force. The general attitude toward Indians was summed up by the great Civil War General Phil Sheridan “The only good Indian is a dead Indian.”
The prevailing sentiment was that Whites were superior to all other groups. That was mythology spun by White intellectuals and writers of the day. What other groups did in the West wasn't important. Even the idea of how many men a White western outlaw killed was always “not counting Mexicans and Indians”. Killing White men counted more, was more worthy.
So this is just a tiny smattering of why you've never heard, read or saw anything about black cowboys, lawmen or outlaws while you were growing or thereafter.
Thanks so much, it has been a fascination of mine about Black Cowboys and black women of the Wild West so i knew some of this information, through my own research.
There were black towns as well, along with thoughts of other interesting tidbits. Thanks again! Beverly Jenkins is a romance novelist that talks about the black cowboys of the West.
History truly is in the hands of whoever is writing it down -- this is a fantastic hub that illustrates this. Valuable information -- thanks for your research.
Rickrideshorses,
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I am glad you found it of interest.I am sure there are Blacks working with horses and probably as cowboys.I saw a documentary many years ago and it seems that a lot of modern day cowboys are Indians.I tried to concentrate in this hub on Black cowboys although they were in many occupation.Thanks.
Cardelion,
It is a case where the myth overcomes reality.How many people read history of the West? Almost everyone has seen Western movies though.Teaching history is important.Thanks for commenting.
There are still lots of cowboys in the west because on horseback is still the best way to gather cattle out of heavy brush, cactus, and canyons. And yes, many are Indians.
Ronhi,
I think in the 1960's there was mo0re awareness of other races and it started to show up in TV shows. The TV show Rawhide shows one Black cowboy and one Mexican.Thanks for the congratulations.
Allen Williams,
Thanks for stopping by to read.It may be that the myth still dominates. Lots of people like westerns but do not know much about western history, or any other history for that matter.I think both have a place.
Peter Lumetta,
I appreciate your letting me know that there was a problem in the hub sot that I could correct it. Hopefully it is OK now. Glad you liked the hub.
Kristine Manly,
Thank you for reading and passing the word about my hub, I appreciate it.I am glad you found it useful. I have a book on the Buffalo Soldiers but have not had a chance to read it yet. I expect to do a hub on them as well.
MsDora,
Thank you for reading my hub and I appreciate your spreading the word about it.
Hi Peggy W
Thanks for stopping by again.I appreciate your comments.I tried to concentrate on Cowboys here as it would get too long with all the other occupations such as Jockeys, and Buffalo soldiers. I will get to one about the Buffalo soldiers ass well as a fiction piece in the series I started on Galvanized Yankees. I think both groups were in about the same area.
Prasetio,
The cowboy is very much America's myth.I think the mythical cowboy is related to the knights of old England.Thanks for commenting.
Bail up
Thanks for visiting and commenting.Probably movies since the 1960's have felt the need to include minorities. Appreciate your comment.
Patty English,MA
Thanks for visiting again.I appreciate you comments and spreading the word.
Anasshad,
Thanks for commenting. I try to be interesting and informative and you indicate I succeeded in this case.Thanks for being a follower and I am following you now, as well.
Moonlake,
Thanks for visiting my hub. I am glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the congratulations.
2
Patricias
They were there. Just have to look harder.There are some good books out about pioneer women, one written by Dee Brown if you are interested.Thanks for reading and for your congratulations.
L.L. Woodard,
Thanks for the congratulation. I'm glad you like the hub and I appreciate the comments.
daniellehorgan
Thank you for your comment. If you learned something here, it is worthwhile.
Weasey
Thanks for commenting and providing additional information.
Celiagirl,
Yes there were Black people in most facets of western life.I tried to focus this hub on the one aspect of cowboys in order for it too not get too long.Thanks for commenting.
Business Time,
I appreciate your stopping by and reading this.I am glad you liked it.
Will Starr
From what I have read and TV documentaries it seems the modern cowboy used pickup trucks more than horses.I am sure there is a place for both.Thanks for commenting.
Congratulations on getting Hub of the Day! Nice work!
You are so correct about the blatant omissions in history. Few people also know that in Teddy Roosevelt's "Rough Riders," at the so-called "charge" up San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American war, a large part of his regiment were Negroes.
(And that's another historical cover-up; it was no "charge," it was an extended battle over 3 weeks, with hundreds killed!)
You've done a great review of this book--I must look it up. Voted up, useful, and interesting.
"From what I have read and TV documentaries it seems the modern cowboy used pickup trucks more than horses."
They use trucks, ATV's, helicopters, and whatever else they need, but to gather cattle out of the rough places, nothing beats the horse.
I got saddle sores one day back in the eighties, trying to keep up with a rancher friend west of Tucson. It's tough, dangerous work, and some of it can only be done on horseback.
DzMsLizzy
Frankly, I am not sure if I might have known that.TR was aware of the Black people in the West and sympathetic. I may have read about the incident you mention but it would have been a dozen years ago.I was not really reviewing the book so much as using it as source materiel. However it is a good book about the west in general as well a the place of Blacks.
WillStarr,
You certainly have first hand experience that I don't, so I'll concede the discussion.Thanks for the input.
Hi, dahoglund,
When I first moved to Arizona many years ago, I too thought they used pickups, and they did, but I soon learned that they also used pickups to haul their horses around.
BTW, I sent you an email.
Sounds reasonable. I haven't seen the email yet.
I really enjoyed read this. I too love history. With your permission I will print this and give it to my grandchildren. My grandson, in particular, will love reading this.
I lived in Houston, TX for a number of year and a black couple who owned a ranch keep the history of the black cowboy alive for all the children of the area. They sponsored many, many events and rodeos...had a small museaum ... it was great. My boys, when they were small, loved going there. Voted up and useful.
Of course you can print it out for you grandchildren.I hope the enjoy it.Thank you for the comment and vote.
I think it is sad that they have been left out of the history books, and as time passes that information becomes harder and harder to retrieve, another unfortunate turn. Didn't the Lonesome Dove series have a black cowboy in it? I I remember a TV series about pony express riders has a young black rider who blended right in with the others. And I think the Magnificient 7 had a black cowboy in it. I enjoyed watching all of those westerns, and I think they are so much deeper and better because of those actors portrayals. Thank you for writing an excellent article on this subject. It has made me stop and think about things.
Congratulations on your hub of the day. It was certainly deserving.
Hi, dahoglund,
The email noted that I linked to this Hub on my 'Hired On' story, since they complement one another so well.
Homesteadbound.
Glad you like the hub.I really wrote this when I found some people think there were no Black cowboys.I figured the information cried to be presented.
Hi WillStarr,
I linked back to your hub. Thanks.
And thank you!
dahoglund - and for all those people out there who did not know, it did need to be shared! And I'm glad that you did! I think it is great! Thanks
This was an excellent and informative hub. In Wickenburg, Arizona, a woman named Elizabeth Smith successfully opened a hotel and ran it for a period of years before racism forced her into early retirement. She was African American. This is not a well-known, or well-publicized aspect of Wickenburg history. I think it is embarrassing to most of the residents there that this is a part of their history, but we should try to learn from history so we won't be doomed to repeat it. This was an interesting area of focus and why I always love reading your hubs Dahoglund!
Great hub! I was at the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum in WY a few weeks ago and they had info there that said that approx. 30% of all cowboys were black. Funny how you would never know that from western movies!
Nice hub, and thanks for the education. What I've observed is that history is always written by the conqueror, the aggressor, and as such most stories are usually unbalanced. This situation is further compounded by the movie industry which prefers to distort facts, as long as it will increase their profits.
It's only when a conscious effort is made to; preserve history on the one hand, and discover true history on the other, that things like this come to light. Thanks.
Thanks for writing this article. Black cowboys aren't something that people think about too often, but they are historically significant!
really nice dear i like your topic the most keep it up......
Hi WillStarr,It helps both of us.
Homesteadbound, I often don't have great motives. I sometimes just write on things that grab my interest.Thanks for the comment.
Wannabwestern,That is a sad story. Prejudice, where I've grown up and lived most of my life, tends to be more hidden. I was a bit taken back when I lived in Kansas City back in the sixties how open it was.Much of that has changed now.Thanks for commenting.
embitca, for good or bad movies are fiction.
Kenhubs, history may be written by all sides but more often than not only the winning side is read.
Aaron Farkas,Can't say as I ever gave in much thought. I sort of ran into the subject by buying the book"Negro Cowboys" at a book sale.
allaboutseo,Thanks for the comment. I have a tendency to write about what grabs my interest. Not the best way to build a niche,I suppose.
Hi
dahoglund
fantastic hub,outside usa ppl have general preception that cowboys are whites ,that probably coz the international media portrays them as whites,thenx for the reality check.....
Regards
From
India.
I'm afraid that outside the USA there are a lot of misconceptions about the United States,likewise we have a lot of misconceptions about others. The best thing is to keep an open mind. Appreciate you comment.
Dahoglund , Its no wonder you have such a score , your writing chioces are great , conciencious, and always very interesting. !Great job .....
Hi ahorseback,
Thanks for the praise.This one kind of chose me.I felt a need to counter a claim that there were no Blacks in the West.
It is such a shame that the Black population today, by and large, have no idea that part of their culture includes such a large number of cowboys. Most of them don't believe me when I first tell them.
And as a daughter of a rancher here in South Texas, I can also vouch for the fact that horses are still used to work cattle, both out in the pasture and in the pens. I can also vouch for the presence of Black cowboys since I know some even today. In the 1800's and first half of the 1900's a huge percentage of the cowboys responsible for breaking horses for both the ranch work and the military were Blacks. Anyone worth his salt would be truthful in admitting the Black cowboys were, for the most part, some of the hardest working cowboys in existence. The ones I know today certainly fit that description, and they are, hands down, some of the best horsemen anywhere.
jjs
The Blacks were working with horses as slaves and is one of the reasons they fit into the cowboy life. They were also active in horse racing.They were participants in many aspects of western life. Like their white counterparts were some good and some bad.Thanks for commenting and adding your information.
Hi dahoglund...
Excellent subject, masterfully researched, and delightfully written...It is clear why this was the Hub of the Day (Congrats on that, btw!)
I took a number of Frontier themed courses in grad school...one of those touched on this topic and I remembered enjoying then...and enjoying in now!
Thanks for the hard work!
Thomas
Thanks for reading it and commenting.I'm afraid we are all guilty of confusing the myth with reality. This was just an attempt to separate the two.
Extremely interesting!
I came to the US as a 'white' person and felt the racism and 'missunderstanding' because I was German and thus considered affiliated with Hitler.
I guess that got me interested in the Buffalo Soldiers and the famous Tuskagee.
We tend to blame a country for a minority of dirtbags. In two history classes where we covered the Holocaust, my Professor had to mention that while all Nazis may have been German, not all Germans were Nazis.
Cat R
My wife is of German heritage. Her Grandmother came over here before the wars. I am sure she felt some prejudice at that time. That generation tended to settle in neighborhoods with people of similar backgrounds and the churches were very much made up of people like them:German or Polish, or Swedish whatever.
Glad you enjoyed the hub.
There is always something new to learn each day. Thanks for sharing this article Dahoglund, it's well written and interesting, but most of all, it brings enlightenment to people by providing them new information and insights.
Hi moiragallaga.Thanks for reading my hub.I tend to be drawn to subjects that are out of the mainstream. This subject especially seems to be largely unknown.
I enjoyed reading your article on African Americans cowboys. Thanks for sharing this article.
Coolmon, thanks for reading this hub and commenting.I thought this information needed more exposure.
For me, the large number of black cowboys is a reflection of what a lousy job the cowboy had. It's interesting that in western movies and with the modern definition of the cowboy, cattle ranching has little connection with the term. Cowboys evolved into the western heroes you describe, and today it is a guy who dresses a certain way, listens to certain types of music, and goes to rodeos. Since the existence of black cowboys and the actual way of life on the open range do not fit the romanticized image, they are left out of the story. It's just one of many examples of our nation's racist heritage and of the American peoples' capacity to romanticize their past.
Thanks for commenting Freeway Flyer.Actually the term cowboy has come to be applied to many frontier occupations such as outlays,lawmen and others.Cowboy cure was probably much like that of other groups with a lot of young men, such as military. Blacks were cowboys largely because many went west after the Civil War and were good with horses, since many worked with horses during slave days. Rodeo is a celebration of the real world roundup.I think all cultures celebrate their past.
Hi my name is Deszeray & my grandfather is in search of an African American Texas cowboy , by the last name Stampley . He is trying to get in touch with his son Kevin Stampley . So if you have any information about Stampley , may you please email me @ deszerayw@aol.com . Than You .
I'm sorry that I have no contacts to help in your search. However, maybe someone reading this article will have the information you need.
Had to read this and comment since I just watched a History Detectives (PBS) show last night about champion rodeo rider and early Okalhoma African/American cowboy Bill Pickett. They were tracing a saddle with his name on it. Fascinating story as is this HUB!
My mother, who moved to Texas as a small child in the very early 1900s, always said there were no African American cowboys. I guess she didn't see any on her father's tenant farm which was not a ranch anyway.
Hi xstatic. What led to writing this hub is that I ran into a situation of someone denying there were any Blacks as cowboys. Since I had two books on the subject I figured this was a belief that had to have some light shone on it.Two things stand out to me. First is that many former slaves went to the west looking for opportunity. second is that they had useful skills. Many slaves were put in charge of tending horses as slaves.Some made good use of that out west. There have been a number of Black cowboys in the rodeos and riders in horse racing.
Thanks for commenting.
After reading the Hub, I came back to find the name of the movie, Silverado and move it onto my queue in #1. Have not seen a good western in a while.
It has been a long time since I've seen that film. Enjoy it.
Patty Inglish, MS Level 7 Commenter 8 months ago
Some of my ancestors that came over from the UK from the early 1800s saw Black cowboys while working on the railroad lines to California and such a bit later.