USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The term cowboy has interesting origins. Originally, White cowboys were called cowhands, and African Americans were pejoratively referred to as “cowboys.” African American men being called “boy” regardless of their age stems from slavery and the plantation era in the South.

Detailed explanation-2: -Black cowhands were typically assigned to handle horses with poor temperaments and wild behaviors, a career known as horsebreaking. Other people in the cattle trade were trail cooks, which could earn extra money over other cowhands, regardless of race.

Detailed explanation-3: -“Almost totally missing from the traditional history of the American West is the role of the Black cowboy as well as other Black pioneers who traveled through and settled during the nineteenth century in the vast territory west of the Mississippi, ” writes Bennie J.

Detailed explanation-4: -1. John Ware. Ware was born into slavery in South Carolina but moved down to Texas after the Civil War. There he learned all the skills needed to become a cowboy.