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This 5 page paper examines Patricia Limerick's view of the traditional methods of studying history and whether or not her ideas make sense.
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5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVLimrck.rtf
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viewpoints, not just that of the whites. This paper examines her view of the traditional methods of studying history and whether or not her ideas make sense. Discussion Limerick is
a skillful writer and her work is easy to read, with none of the "stuffiness" than can sometimes accompany history. In discussing the Modoc War, her main thesis appears to
be that the behavior of the combatants on all sides (whites, Indians, the Army, settlers) was so complex that most historical accounts are too simplistic. They simply fail to take
into account the multilayered interrelationships of those involved in the events. By her reasoning, most of history is badly flawed because we simply dont know enough of what happened to
be able to trust the accounts we have. The complexity of the white-Indian conflict can easily be seen in the fact that Limerick is able to discern 12 separate patterns
in the Modoc War, and none of them overlap. She calls this her "Twelve Point Guide to War." Its not necessary to go over each of these points but
a few are instructive as examples. Pattern 1, for instance, says "Before a war happened, there was already a great deal of water under the bridge" (Limerick). That is, the
people who eventually fought each other had prior history together. "Before whites and Indians would feel inclined to fight each other in a sustained way, they had to get to
know each other. Before prolonged violence came disease, exotic plants and animals, traders and trade dependence ... Before they took up arms against each other, Indians and whites had to
go through a substantial "getting to know you" phase" (Limerick). Pattern 2 says "Before a war occurred, some men representing the federal government declared that they were going to settle
...