Once Upon A Time In Black History: Nat Love

Nat Love was an American cowboy and former slave in the period following the American Civil War. His exploits have made him one of the most famous heroes of the Old West. Despite slavery-era statutes that outlawed black literacy, he learned to read and write as a child with the help of his father, Sampson. When slavery ended, Love's parents stayed on the Love plantation as sharecroppers, attempting to raise tobacco and corn on about 20 acres, but Sampson died shortly after the second crop was planted. Afterward, Nat took a second job working on a local farm to help make ends meet. At about this time, he was noted as having a gift for breaking horses. After some time of working extra odd jobs in the area, he won a horse in a raffle on two occasions, which he then sold back to the owner for $50 each time. He then used the money to leave town and, at the age of 16, headed West and became who he was today.