Isabella Carter
The Iroquois Confederacy and the US Constitution have been compared for their similarities, with the former thought to have influenced the latter. The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Six Nations, was a multi-state government formed by the Mohawks, Onondagas, Cayugas, Oneidas, Senecas, and later, the Tuscarora nation. The structure of the Iroquois Confederacy, as outlined in the Great Law of Peace, allowed each tribe to maintain its own leadership and handle its own affairs, but come together to address issues of common importance. This inspired the founders of the US Constitution, who were impressed by how the Iroquois legislated their affairs and sought to emulate certain aspects of their governance.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Multi-state government | Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Seneca, and Tuscarora nations |
| Democratic principles | The Iroquois Confederacy was a sophisticated and thriving society of well over 5,000 people |
| Federalism | Each tribe handled its own affairs but came together to solve issues of common importance |
| Bicameral legislatures | Both documents create bicameral legislatures |
| Unification through mutual defense | The Iroquois Confederacy is about unification through mutual defense and the conduct of foreign affairs |
| Addressing the Continental Congress | The Iroquois addressed the Continental Congress in 1776 during the drafting of the Declaration of Independence |
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What You'll Learn
- Both documents advocate for a 'union' of states
- The Iroquois Confederacy influenced the US Constitution's federalist principles
- The Iroquois Confederacy's structure was similar to the US Constitution's bicameral legislatures
- The Iroquois Confederacy inspired the US Constitution's democratic principles
- The Iroquois Confederacy's Great Law of Peace inspired the US Constitution
Both documents advocate for a 'union' of states
The Iroquois Confederacy and the US Constitution both advocate for a union of states. The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Six Nations, united five nations: the Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, and Seneca. In around 1722, the Tuscarora nation joined the Iroquois, also known as the Haudenosaunee. Together, these six nations formed a multi-state government while maintaining their own individual governance.
The US Constitution, on the other hand, united the original 13 colonies into one republic. This confederation of colonies was influenced by the political system developed by the Iroquois Confederacy, as were many of the democratic principles incorporated into the Constitution. The Iroquois Confederacy's Great Law of Peace, a doctrine of 117 codicils, allowed individual tribes to handle their own affairs but also brought them together to solve issues of common importance. This inspired the founders of the US Constitution, who were impressed by how the Iroquois legislated their affairs.
The Iroquois Confederacy's influence on the US Constitution is further evidenced by a 1751 letter from Benjamin Franklin. In it, he describes the need for the 13 colonies to form a "voluntary Union" similar to that of the Iroquois Confederacy. Franklin wrote:
> "It would be a very strange Thing, if six Nations of ignorant Savages should be capable of forming a Scheme for such an Union, and be able to execute it in such a Manner, as that it has subsisted Ages, and appears indissoluble; and yet that a like Union should be impracticable for ten or a Dozen English Colonies, to whom it is more necessary, and must be more advantageous; and who cannot be supposed to want an equal Understanding of their Interests."
In 1744, an Onondaga leader named Canassatego gave a speech urging the contentious 13 colonies to unite, as the Iroquois had at the signing of the Treaty of Lancaster. This inspired Benjamin Franklin to print Canassatego's speech. Later, in 1754, leaders of the Iroquois Confederacy attended the Albany Congress, where Franklin was further influenced by the Great Law of Peace and wrote the Albany Plan of Union. This plan advocated for the colonies to improve security and better defend themselves from foreign powers.
In 1988, Congress passed a resolution formally acknowledging the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the US Constitution.
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The Iroquois Confederacy influenced the US Constitution's federalist principles
The US Constitution was drafted in 1787, at a time when there were no contemporary democracies in Europe. As a result, the framers of the Constitution looked to the democratic forms of government they had encountered among Native American nations for inspiration. The Iroquois Confederacy, in particular, is thought to have been of interest to the framers and influenced the US Constitution's federalist principles.
The Iroquois Confederacy was founded several centuries ago by the Great Peacemaker, who united five nations: the Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, and Seneca. In 1722, the Tuscarora nation joined them, and together, these six nations formed a multi-state government while maintaining their own individual governance and freedoms. This structure, known as the Great Law of Peace, allowed each tribe to handle its affairs independently but united them to solve issues of common importance.
The framers of the US Constitution were impressed by the Iroquois Confederacy's ability to legislate their affairs and sought to borrow aspects of their government that enabled them to assert the sovereignty of the people. The Iroquois Confederacy's federal nature, with its unification through mutual defence and conduct of foreign affairs, is thought to have influenced the US Constitution's federalist principles.
In 1751, Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter describing the need for the 13 colonies to form a "voluntary Union" similar to that of the Iroquois Confederacy. He was impressed by their political system and advocated for the colonies to unite and improve their security and defence against foreign powers. This idea was reflected in the Albany Plan of Union, which Franklin wrote after attending the Albany Congress in 1754 alongside leaders of the Iroquois Confederacy.
In 1988, Congress passed a resolution formally acknowledging the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the US Constitution. However, it is important to note that the Iroquois Confederacy was not an exact model for the US Constitution, and there is some debate over the extent of its influence.
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The Iroquois Confederacy's structure was similar to the US Constitution's bicameral legislatures
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Six Nations, was a political system that united five nations: the Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, and Seneca. In 1722, the Tuscarora nation joined the Iroquois, also known as the Haudenosaunee. Together, these six nations formed a multi-state government while maintaining their own individual governance.
The Iroquois Confederacy has been cited as an influence on the US Constitution, with similarities noted in the structure of their governments. The US Constitution, like the Iroquois Confederacy, establishes a bicameral legislature, with the House of Representatives and the Senate. While the Iroquois Confederacy's structure is more nearly tri-cameral, it still served as an inspiration for the framers of the US Constitution.
The Iroquois Confederacy's Great Law of Peace, a doctrine of 117 codicils, allowed individual tribes to handle their own affairs while coming together to solve issues of common importance. This concept of federalism and individual governance influenced the structure of the US Constitution, which aimed to balance state and federal powers.
The Iroquois Confederacy's system of government, with its focus on unification, mutual defense, and foreign affairs, also resonated with the framers of the US Constitution. The confederacy's ability to maintain sovereignty over vast geographic expanses and its democratic principles impressed the constitutional framers. They recognized the sophistication and thriving nature of the Iroquois Confederacy, which had a population of well over 5,000 people when first encountered by European explorers in the early 17th century.
While the Iroquois Confederacy provided a real-life example of political concepts, it was not an exact model for the US Constitution. The framers of the US Constitution sought to avoid hereditary rulers, as they had grievances with Britain's King George III. Additionally, the specific political structures of the Iroquois Confederacy are not directly referenced in the constitutional records, and the influence may have been overstated. However, it is clear that the Iroquois Confederacy, with its democratic principles and federalist nature, played a role in shaping the thinking of the framers of the US Constitution.
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The Iroquois Confederacy inspired the US Constitution's democratic principles
The United States Constitution, drafted in 1787, was influenced by the political system developed by the Iroquois Confederacy, a union of five (later six) nations: the Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Seneca, and, from 1722, the Tuscarora.
The Iroquois Confederacy was founded several centuries ago by the Great Peacemaker, who united these nations under a multi-state government that maintained individual governance and freedoms. This was known as the Great Law of Peace, a doctrine of 117 codicils where individual tribes handled their own affairs but came together to solve issues of common importance.
The confederacy's structure impressed the Founding Fathers, who had encountered no other contemporary democracies in Europe. They admired the Iroquois' federalist principles, such as the unification of tribes through mutual defence and the conduct of foreign affairs. The Iroquois' democratic principles, such as the seventh-generation principle, which dictates that decisions made today should lead to sustainability for seven generations into the future, also inspired the democratic principles incorporated into the US Constitution.
In 1754, Benjamin Franklin was inspired by the Great Law of Peace and wrote the Albany Plan of Union, which advocated for the 13 colonies to improve security and better defend themselves from foreign powers. In 1744, an Onondaga leader, Canassatego, urged the 13 colonies to unite in a speech that influenced Franklin. In 1751, Franklin wrote a letter describing the need for the 13 colonies to form a "voluntary Union" similar to that of the Iroquois Confederacy. Later, in 1776, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia invited the Iroquois to make an address during the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.
In 1988, Congress passed a resolution formally acknowledging the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the US Constitution. However, it is important to note that the Iroquois Confederacy was not an exact model for the US Constitution, and there is some debate over the extent of its influence.
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The Iroquois Confederacy's Great Law of Peace inspired the US Constitution
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Six Nations, is made up of the Mohawks, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Seneca, and, from around 1722, the Tuscarora nation. The Confederacy dates back several centuries, to when the Great Peacemaker founded it by uniting these nations.
The structure of the Iroquois Confederacy represented five tribes, each handling their own affairs but coming together to solve issues of common importance. This federal nature of the Iroquois Confederacy, operating under the Great Law of Peace, impressed the Founding Fathers, who had encountered no other contemporary democracies in Europe from which they could draw inspiration. The Iroquois Confederacy's unification through mutual defense and handling of foreign affairs influenced the thinking of constitutional framers.
The Great Law of Peace's concept of peace and consensus rather than fighting, and the Iroquois Confederacy's democratic principles, also inspired the US Constitution. The confederation of the original 13 colonies into one republic was influenced by the Iroquois Confederacy's political system. Benjamin Franklin was impressed by the Great Law of Peace and wrote what is known as the Albany Plan of Union, advocating for the colonies to improve security and better defend themselves from foreign powers.
However, it is important to note that the Iroquois Confederacy was not an exact model for the U.S. Constitution. The US Constitution's framers also studied European governments, and the US Constitution includes features common to all constitutions.
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Frequently asked questions
The Iroquois Confederacy was a multi-state government formed by the Great Peacemaker by uniting five nations: Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, and Seneca. In 1722, the Tuscarora nation joined the Iroquois, also known as the Haudenosaunee.
The Iroquois Confederacy provided a real-life example of some of the political concepts that the framers of the US Constitution were interested in adopting. The Iroquois Confederacy's structure represented five tribes, each handling their own affairs but coming together to solve issues of common importance. This inspired the founders of the US Constitution, who were impressed by how the Iroquois legislated their affairs.
Both the Iroquois Confederacy and the US Constitution create bicameral legislatures. Additionally, the Iroquois Confederacy's Great Law of Peace, which united the five nations into a League of Nations, may have inspired the confederation of the original 13 colonies into one republic.
