The term cowboy was initially used as a racial insult as a substitute for the negative word “boy” that Southerners and some whites in America used to describe men of color, African-American until it was appropriated by white Americans.
According to the book The Negro Cowboys by Philip Durham & Everett L. Jones, “They numbered thousands, among them many of the best riders, ropers, and wranglers.”
Contrary to Hollywood and American literature depictions of the American cowboy some historians estimate that 20 to 25 % of all cowboys were African-American,Black, Some of them were women such as Stagecoach Mary America's who according to history.com. was the first African-American mail carrier
A photo of her graces this podcast.
The exploits of many other African-American cowboys are covered in the BLACK COWBOYS OF THE OLD WEST by Tricia Martineau Wagner.
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