Bedtime Stories, The Oregon Trail, Chapter 8, Part-1

Parkman's work regarding nationality, race, and especially Native Americans have generated criticism. C. Vann Woodward wrote that Parkman permitted his bias to control his judgment, drawing a distinction between Indian "savagery" and settler "civilization", for Parkman found the Indian practice of scalping execrable, and made sure to underscore his aversion.  However, the historical significance of his work cannot be denied.