Cowboys and Its Relevancy to Africa

Before reading Holloways "What Africa Has Given America" I found that there were many African cowboys and cowgirls who lived in the South. Many Africans were hired as cowboys/cowgirls to guide horses to their shipping docks to be sent to the eastern markets, this allowed for Africans to find routes to escape the racist South. By being hired as cowboys/cowgirls Africans were able to make easy money by guiding domesticated animals. It may be surprising about the origin of cowboys but I did not know that slaves were hired to work with livestock. By doing extra research I was able to find out more information about some cowboys dating back to the 19th century.

Bill Pickett

The person in the picture above is cowboy Bill Pickett, born December 5, 1870 in Jenks Branch Texas. Pickett was an American cowboy, actor and rodeo performer. At the age of 12 Bill and his siblings dropped out of school to become ranch hands, where Bill developed and made a living from "bulldogging". You may ask, "What is bulldogging?", well bulldogging is the act of riding a horse next to a bull with the intent of pulling the bull by the horns with hopes of getting it off-balance. (I've linked a video down below so you can fully understand my description) Bill Pickett was known for bulldogging but was banned from performing in certain parts of Texas because he was black. But that did not stop Bill from showing his talents to many people around the world. During the last years of Bills career he was starred in the film The Bull- Dogger and was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1971.

My Conclusion About Cowboys Relevancy to Africa

Based on the information I've provided Holloway did an amazing job at explaining how cowboys are relevant to the history of Africa. I have learned a lot about the first cowboy and cowgirls in the 19th century based on the extra research I have done as well.

Article based off of Bill Pickett ( Black Cowpokes of the Wild West (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) )