Eleanor Finch
The US Constitution and the Iroquois Constitution differ in many ways, but there are also some similarities between the two. The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, is believed to have influenced the US Constitution. In 1988, Congress passed a resolution acknowledging the Iroquois Confederacy's impact on the US Constitution. The Iroquois Confederacy, which comprised the Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Seneca, and later the Tuscarora nations, had a democratic system with individual tribes handling their affairs but uniting to address common concerns. The US Constitution, on the other hand, was created by the Founding Fathers, who had recently broken free from British rule and sought to establish a republic with democratic and aristocratic elements. While the Iroquois Constitution allowed women to participate in governance and select chiefs, the US Constitution disenfranchised women and non-whites. Despite some similarities, historians argue that there is no compelling evidence that the US Constitution directly imitated the Iroquois Great Law.
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What You'll Learn
Influence of Iroquois Confederacy on the US Constitution
The consensus among historians is that there is no compelling evidence that the Founding Fathers directly imitated the Iroquois Great Law when drafting the U.S. Constitution. However, it is widely acknowledged that the U.S. Constitution was influenced by the political system developed by the Iroquois Confederacy, which had already been in place for several centuries.
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee, was a union of six nations: Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Seneca, and, from 1722, the Tuscarora nation. The Confederacy was governed by a doctrine known as the Great Law of Peace, which consisted of 117 codicils. This allowed each tribe to handle its own affairs while uniting them to address issues of common importance. The Iroquois system included freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and separation of powers in government, with women playing a significant role in leadership decisions and war declarations.
When the Constitutional Convention met in 1787, there were no contemporary democracies in Europe to draw inspiration from. The most democratic forms of government that the convention members had encountered were those of Native American nations, particularly the Iroquois Confederacy. Benjamin Franklin, who attended the Albany Congress with Iroquois leaders in 1754, was impressed by the Great Law of Peace and later advocated for a similar "voluntary Union" among the colonies. In 1776, the Iroquois were invited to address the Continental Congress during the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, further indicating the influence they had on American patriots.
While there are similarities between the two systems, there are also significant differences. The Iroquois Confederacy had hereditary rulers, which resembled the English system that the Americans were seeking to break free from. Additionally, the Iroquois did not disenfranchise nonwhites and women, unlike the Founding Fathers. Despite these differences, Congress passed a resolution in 1988 formally acknowledging the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the U.S. Constitution and reaffirming the legitimacy and sovereignty of Native American nations and their governments.
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Iroquois model of federalism
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee, is a union of six nations: Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Seneca, and, since 1722, the Tuscarora nation. The Confederacy is governed by The Great Law of Peace, a doctrine of 117 codicils that allows individual tribes to handle their own affairs but unite to solve issues of common importance.
The Iroquois Confederacy has been described as a "stacked-government model", with individual tribes enjoying a degree of autonomy, including the power to manage their own affairs, such as marriage and divorce, while also being unified through mutual defense and the conduct of foreign affairs. This federal model is thought to have influenced the framers of the US Constitution, who were impressed by how the Iroquois legislated their affairs.
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. A decade later, Franklin attended the Albany Congress in 1754, where he was impressed by the Great Law of Peace and wrote the Albany Plan of Union, which advocated for the colonies to improve security and better defend themselves from foreign powers. The influence of Iroquois ideas on Franklin is evident in his writing that if "ignorant savages" could form such an effective union, then the "English colonies" should be able to do the same.
In 1787, when the framers of the US Constitution met to debate the form of government the United States should have, there were no contemporary democracies in Europe to draw inspiration from. The most democratic forms of government that the convention members had encountered were those of Native American nations, particularly the Iroquois Confederacy. This led to the US Constitution echoing the Great Law of Peace, with similarities including the notions of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and separation of powers in government.
However, it is important to note that there are significant differences between the Iroquois Confederacy and the US Constitution. For example, the Iroquois had hereditary office-holders, which resembled the English system that the Americans were rebelling against. Additionally, the Iroquois did not disenfranchise nonwhites and women, with women having the power to select chiefs and veto wars. While the Iroquois Confederacy may have influenced the thinking of the framers of the US Constitution, it did not directly inspire it.
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Iroquois and freedom of religion
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Six Nations, is a group of Native Americans and First Nations peoples in northeast North America. The Confederacy was founded by the Great Peacemaker, uniting five nations: Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, and Seneca. In 1722, the Tuscarora nation joined the Iroquois, and they became known as the Six Nations.
The Iroquois Confederacy has been acknowledged by Congress as having influenced the US Constitution. The Iroquois Confederacy was of particular interest to the framers of the US Constitution as it was the most democratic form of government that any of the convention members had encountered. The structure of the Iroquois Confederacy allowed individual tribes to handle their own affairs but also brought them together to solve issues of common importance.
The Iroquois, or Haudenosaunee, have their own religion and expressive culture. Iroquois religion includes numerous deities, the most important of which is the Great Spirit, responsible for the creation of humans, plants, animals, and the forces of good in nature. The Iroquois believe that the Great Spirit indirectly guides the lives of ordinary people. Other important deities include Thunderer and the Three Sisters, the spirits of Maize, Beans, and Squash. The Iroquois also believe in an Evil Spirit and other lesser spirits responsible for disease and misfortune. Dreams are considered important supernatural signs and are interpreted seriously.
The Iroquois believe that after death, the soul embarks on a journey and series of ordeals that end in the land of the dead in the sky world. Mourning for the dead lasts a year, at the end of which a feast is held to signify the soul's arrival in the land of the dead.
In the 1960s, at least half of the Iroquois people accepted the Handsome Lake Religion, which emphasized traditional elements of Iroquoian culture while also incorporating Quaker beliefs and aspects of white culture. The Longhouse religion, as it is practised today, is a synthesis of elements from the hunter-gatherer traditions of the Middle Woodland and early Late Woodland periods and the agricultural complex that gradually took hold during the Late Woodland period.
While there is no direct evidence of the influence of Iroquois religious practices on the US Constitution, it is worth noting that the Iroquois Confederacy, as a democratic form of government, had a significant impact on the framers of the Constitution. The constitutional framers were interested in the unification of the Iroquois Confederacy through mutual defence and its conduct of foreign affairs, which may have influenced their thinking on federalism.
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Iroquois and freedom of speech
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee, is a union of six Native American nations: the Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Tuscarora people. The Confederacy is said to have been founded by Deganwidah, also known as the Great Peacemaker, who united the five original nations with a code of justice known as the Great Law of Peace. This law served as the Confederacy's constitution, and it included provisions for freedom of speech and religion, universal suffrage, the right to assemble, political representation and participation, the equitable distribution of wealth, and more.
The Iroquois Confederacy has been cited as a significant influence on the U.S. Constitution. In 1988, Congress passed a resolution formally acknowledging this influence. The structure of the Iroquois Confederacy, with its federal-style government and concepts of checks and balances, separation of powers, and individual freedoms, is said to have inspired the framers of the U.S. Constitution.
The Great Law of Peace, which served as the constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy, included explicit provisions for freedom of speech. This stood in contrast to the European monarchies of the time, which often did not protect or respect freedom of speech. The Iroquois valued participatory government, and freedom of speech was vital to their form of democracy.
The influence of the Iroquois on the U.S. Constitution can be seen in the inclusion of certain democratic principles, such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Benjamin Franklin, one of the framers of the U.S. Constitution, was particularly interested in the Iroquois form of government and incorporated some of their ideas into his Albany Plan, which advocated for the unification of the colonies. Thomas Jefferson, another key figure in the founding of the United States, was also exposed to Iroquois thought and incorporated ideas of natural rights, liberty, freedom of expression, and consent of the governed into the Declaration of Independence.
In conclusion, the Iroquois Confederacy, with its Great Law of Peace, played a significant role in shaping the U.S. Constitution's understanding of freedom of speech. The Iroquois model of participatory government, with its emphasis on individual freedoms and democratic principles, inspired the framers of the U.S. Constitution to include protections for freedom of speech and other fundamental rights.
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Iroquois and gender equality
The Iroquois Confederacy, which consisted of five nations: Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, and Seneca, and later the Tuscarora nation, has been acknowledged by Congress as having influenced the U.S. Constitution. The Iroquois Confederacy was of particular interest to the Founding Fathers as it was the only example of a democratic government that they had encountered.
The Iroquois society was matrilineal, with descent traced through the mother. Iroquois women were responsible for defining the political, social, spiritual, and economic norms of the tribe. They nominated the chiefs for their leadership positions and ensured that they fulfilled their responsibilities. Iroquois women also owned the land and tended the crops, giving them control over planting and cultivating. This control gave them leverage when they wanted to restrict the warriors' access to supplies, which was crucial in their successful boycott to gain more power in deciding issues of war and peace.
Iroquois women wanted to stop unregulated warfare between tribes and thought of a way to convince the Iroquois men to give them more power in deciding issues of war and peace. They boycotted lovemaking and childbearing, and restricted the warriors' access to supplies by withholding commodities such as dried corn and moccasins. The men eventually gave in to the women's demands and granted them veto power concerning all wars. This nonviolent action has been considered the first feminist rebellion in the United States.
While Iroquois women had a significant amount of power and influence in their society, it is important to note that the sachems (chiefs-leaders) were men. Additionally, Iroquois women also performed traditional household functions such as producing, preserving, and preparing food and clothing for their families, as well as taking care of the children.
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Frequently asked questions
The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, is the constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy, which initially united five nations: Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, and Seneca. The Tuscarora nation joined them in 1722.
The US Constitution was written in 1787, at a time when there were no contemporary democracies in Europe. The most democratic forms of government that any of the convention members had personally encountered were those of Native American nations, particularly the Iroquois Confederacy. The US Constitution's notion of democracy, including freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and separation of powers in government, is believed to be inspired by the Iroquois Constitution.
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. In 1754, Franklin attended the Albany Congress along with leaders of the Iroquois Confederacy. He was impressed by the Great Law of Peace and later wrote the Albany Plan of Union, which advocated for the colonies to unite and defend themselves from foreign powers.
The Iroquois Constitution had hereditary office-holders, resembling the English system that the Americans were rebelling against. The Iroquois Constitution also did not disenfranchise non-whites and women, unlike the US Constitution.
Yes, in 1988, Congress passed a resolution formally acknowledging the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the US Constitution. The resolution also reaffirmed the "continuing government-to-government relationship between Indian tribes and the United States established in the Constitution".
