Cowboys

This passage is about cowboys and the Wild West.

Lexile Level: 600L

Categories: History Animals & Nature

The cowboy is an American icon. Europeans also had cowboys who tended livestock on farms, but the cowboy became an American symbol. It is a part of our culture and part of our heritage. In the Wild West, the cowboys tended the livestock. They would feed them and herd them. They would mend fences and repair the ranch. They would work on the ranch or in the open range. They have a type of clothing all their own that is uniquely American, too. They wore cowboy hats, jeans, and cowboy boots. They rode saddled horses. They had spurs on their boots to prod the horses. They were often depicted sleeping outside by a campfire. They used rope to lasso livestock. They represent the Wild West. They represented ideas of freedom on the open range. They symbolized self-sufficiency. Around the world people associate cowboys with America.