Characterize the Daily Life of a Woman in the West, as It Talks About Cowboys, Lawmen, Outlaws, and Other Interesting Facts About the West- Where Are the Black Folks?? or, for That Matter Where Is the Vaquero the Essenti

Unit Three Chapter 18 Writing Assignment During the late 1800’s to early 1900’s women in the west were valued in their work in the home, on the streets and some women during this time played the same roles as men being Cowgirls. However, women mainly held their responsibilities in the home. Women played the role of a wife, a mother, a seamstress and often nurses. Their domestic duties including raising their children, farm work, gathering food and milk along with utilizing their sewing skills. These women had much to do while often their husband is out looking for gold, working from dusk to dawn laboring and doing the other duties that were not as common for the wives to be doing. Often there was so much work to be done in the home that women would have their children assist them with household duties and work on the farm by age nine. Women of this time spent many hours at home and away from their husbands. Labor jobs seemed to be an excellent job during the right season. The Cowboy and the migrant worker; Mexicans, Chinese, and even African Americans would round up cattle. In return of the labor of walking thousands of miles and herding 100’s of cattle they would get paid a hefty amount of money. There were about 25% of black cowboys that would work as Cowboys during the years of 1870-1885. Some African American’s were so skilled that one particularly Bill Pickett being called the “Greatest Cowboy” winning competitions with the reputation of his tricks and stunts. Many of these cowboys during this time were making a lot of money. With the money that they would make they would often go into town and spend or blow their money on working women. Many women now have been tired of working in the home and not feeling respected. They were tired of not being paid the amount they felt was necessary to survive. Many teens and younger unmarried women would work the streets and be paid per visit by another man, usually a cowboy. Women that were predominantly in the Mexican