Patricia Nelson Limerick wrote The Legacy of Conquest to show how life in the

West was very different than it was depicted before. She got the idea of the book

when she went to a conference on the American West. “During the first day of the

conference, government and business officials complained about the current problems

of the West, and the prevalent presumption seemed to be that these problems were

quite recent in origin and bore little relation to the distant frontier West.” (pg. 9)

The West of the past has been depicted as a frontier process where Limerick saw it as

more of a place of conquest and wants to depict that in her book. “Life in Boulder,

Colorado, at the foot of the Flatirons, reminds you daily that the West is here and not

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But some of the

people that she disagrees with also have facts to back up their beliefs on why it

happened in a totally different way. So one reader might agree with that person while

another could agree with Limerick and her views.

The Legacy of Conquest was full of great history from the West. So it would be

great for someone to read if they were looking to further their knowledge. But at times it

was hard to understand and can leave the reader pretty confused. It would be easier

for the reader to understand if they went ahead and research some on their own and

then read the book.

This book shows us how life in the West could have been very different than

previously recorded. Limerick reveals some different ways of thinking about the events

at the time. She also brings out some events that have been hidden or forgotten

throughout time. It is important for Americans to have a knowledge of these events to

aid the in making proper decisions and to avoid the same mistakes that were made in

the