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\nMary Fields aka Stagecoach Mary\n

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\nMary Fields, also known as Stagecoach Mary and Black Mary, was the first African-American female star-route mail carrier in the United States.Born Mary Fields in around 1832, Fields was born into slavery, and like many other enslaved...\nMary Fields, also known as Stagecoach Mary and Black Mary, was the first African-American female star-route mail carrier in the United States.

Born Mary Fields in around 1832, Fields was born into slavery, and like many other enslaved people, her exact date of birth is not known.

Would-be mail thieves didn’t stand a chance against Stagecoach Mary. The hard-drinking, quick-shooting mail carrier sported two guns and men’s clothing

As the first African American woman to carry mail, she stood out on the trail—and became a Wild West legend. Rumor had it that she’d fended off an angry pack of wolves with her rifle, had “the temperament of a grizzly bear,” and was not above a gunfight.

Kicked out of the convent, Fields was on her own—and she set about living a life that was shocking by 19th-century standards. She took in laundry and did odd jobs, started businesses, and became known for liking hard liquor and gunfights.

This tough reputation ended up paying off. In 1895, she got a contract from the postal service to become a star route carrier—an independent contractor who carried mail using a stagecoach donated by Mother Amadeus. It suited Fields to a tee. As a star carrier, her job was to protect the mail on her route from thieves and bandits and to deliver mail. She was only the second woman in the United States (and the first African American woman) to serve in that role.\n
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Resource Details

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Educator Rating
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Media Length
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3:15
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Grade
9th - Higher Ed
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Subjects
Social Studies & History
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Media Type
Instructional Videos
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Source:
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\nThe Black History Buff\n\n
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Date
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2021
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Language
English
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Audiences
For Teacher Use
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Usage Permissions
Fine Print: Educational Use
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guns, birth, cowboys, american history, african american history
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black, history, black people, wildwest, black history, mary fields, stagecoach mary, black mary, black american history, outlaws, mail carriers, us postal service, black women in history, enslaved people, united states, carrier, mill, stand, drinking, clothing, gunfight, fields, born, ended, living, life, convent, clear, contract, protect, woman, serve
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