Eleanor Finch
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois Nation, is believed to have influenced the framing of the US Constitution. Historians argue that the Iroquois Confederacy, which was one of the world's first democracies, provided a real-life example of the political concepts that the framers of the US Constitution sought to implement. The Iroquois Confederacy's Great Law of Peace, which united five nations into a League of Nations, is thought to have inspired the US Constitution's focus on fairness, justice, and individual freedoms.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Federalism and Separation of Powers | The Iroquois Confederacy operated as a union of tribes, each with its own laws and governance, similar to the US federal system. The Confederacy also had a system of checks and balances, with different clans and leaders holding specific powers, mirroring the US separation of powers. |
| Great Law of Peace | The Iroquois Confederacy was governed by an oral constitution, the "Great Law of Peace," which outlined the rights and responsibilities of its citizens and served as a foundation for their democratic system. This oral tradition may have influenced the US Constitution's emphasis on the rule of law and a written constitution. |
| Representative Government and Democracy | The Iroquois Confederacy elected their leaders and made decisions through a democratic process involving all members of the tribe. This practice of representative government and the idea of "one person, one vote" could have inspired similar principles in the US Constitution. |
| Equality and Liberty | The Iroquois Nation promoted equality among its citizens, regardless of clan or social status. This emphasis on equality and individual liberty, including freedom of speech and religion, may have influenced the US Constitution's Bill of Rights. |
| Treaty Relations and Nation-to-Nation Diplomacy | The Iroquois Confederacy functioned as a sovereign nation, entering into treaties with European powers and other Native American tribes. This concept of nation-to-nation relations and the importance of treaties may have informed the US Constitution's provisions on treaties and international relations. |
| Adaptation and Innovation | The Iroquois Confederacy adapted and evolved their governance system over time, incorporating new ideas and practices. Similarly, the US Constitution included mechanisms for amendment and change to allow for future adaptations. |
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What You'll Learn
The Iroquois Confederacy as a democratic model
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee, is a union of six nations: the Mohawks, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, the Oneida, the Seneca, and the Tuscarora. It is considered one of the world's first democracies and has been credited with influencing the formation of the United States' democratic institutions.
The Iroquois Confederacy was founded several centuries ago by the Great Peacemaker, who united the five original nations. Hiawatha is credited in Native American tradition as the founder of the Confederacy, and he presented the Great Law of Peace, which served as the basis for the union. The Great Law of Peace established a federal system where each nation maintained its own leadership and handled its affairs, but they came together to decide on common causes in a Grand Council of Chiefs. This structure ensured individual governance and freedoms while fostering unity and mutual defense.
The democratic ideals of the Iroquois Confederacy impressed the Founding Fathers during the drafting of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. With no contemporary democracies in Europe to draw inspiration from, the Founders looked to the Native American tribes they had encountered, particularly the Iroquois Confederacy. They admired the Confederacy's federalist principles, which allowed for individual tribe governance while uniting them for common interests. Benjamin Franklin, for instance, was influenced by the Great Law of Peace and wrote the Albany Plan of Union in 1754, advocating for the colonies to unite and defend themselves from foreign powers.
The Iroquois Confederacy's influence on the U.S. Constitution demonstrates the importance of historical frameworks for governance in prioritizing the voices and rights of the people. The Iroquois Constitution embodied principles of fairness, justice, equality, transparency, and respect for diversity, with a focus on citizen well-being. These ideals are reflected in laws such as the Civil Rights Act and educational policies promoting equal access and merit-based success. The Iroquois Confederacy's example of a unified, peaceful, and inclusive society continues to inspire democratic values and practices worldwide.
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The Great Law of Peace
The influence of the Iroquois Constitution on the U.S. Constitution has been widely acknowledged. Historians agree that the Iroquois had a significant influence on the writings of the U.S. Constitution, with Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, and other framers drawing inspiration from the democratic ideals of the Iroquois Confederacy. The U.S. Congress passed Concurrent Resolution 331 in 1988 to recognize the influence of the Iroquois Constitution upon the American Constitution and Bill of Rights.
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Influence on the Declaration of Independence
Most historians believe that the Constitution of the Iroquois Nations influenced the framers of the United States Constitution. The Iroquois Confederacy was one of the world's first democracies and was built on the ideals of fairness, justice, and the well-being of its citizens. The laws, ethics, and aspirations of the Iroquois Nation embodied principles of mutual respect, unity, fairness, and democracy.
The Iroquois Confederacy, which united five nations: the Mohawks, the Onondagas, the Cayugas, the Oneidas, and the Senecas, with the Tuscarora nation joining later, formed a multi-state government while allowing individual tribes to handle their own affairs. This structure, known as the Great Law of Peace, impressed the founders of the United States Constitution, who were seeking ideas for a federalist system.
In 1754, Benjamin Franklin attended the Albany Congress, where he was impressed by the Iroquois' Great Law of Peace. He subsequently wrote the Albany Plan of Union, which advocated for improved security and defence against foreign powers for the colonies. This plan is considered one of the earliest blueprints for a union of the American states.
During the drafting of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia invited the Iroquois to address them, demonstrating the respect and influence they held. The Iroquois' principles of equal representation and decision-making by consensus influenced the framers of the Declaration of Independence, who sought to incorporate these ideals into the new nation they were declaring.
The Iroquois Confederacy's example of a unified government with individual freedoms inspired the framers of the Declaration of Independence to create a strong central government while also protecting the rights and liberties of the people. The Iroquois' emphasis on fairness, justice, and respect for diversity echoed in the Declaration of Independence's commitment to equality and certain unalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
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The Albany Plan of Union
Benjamin Franklin, a delegate from Pennsylvania, was inspired by the Iroquois Confederacy and submitted what became known as the Albany Plan of Union. The plan advocated for the union of the colonies to improve security and defence against foreign powers. It proposed the creation of a "Grand Council" consisting of representatives from each colony, with the number of representatives proportional to the amount of money contributed to a common treasury. The British Crown would appoint a "President-General" to work with the Grand Council in directing colonial-Indian relations, coordinating colonial military operations, and forming new colonies in western territories.
The Iroquois Confederacy was made up of six nations: the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas, and Tuscaroras. Each tribe had a voice and handled its own affairs, but they came together to make major decisions like defence and to solve issues of common importance. The Confederacy was founded to create a peaceful means of decision-making and to unite the nations against outside threats.
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The Iroquois' impact on federalism
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee, is a union of six nations: the Mohawks, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, the Oneida, the Seneca, and the Tuscarora. The Confederacy is one of the world's first democracies, with its constitution, the Great Law of Peace, serving as a model for democratic institutions worldwide. The Iroquois Confederacy's federalist principles, which outline a multi-state government that ensures individual governance and freedoms, are believed by historians to have significantly influenced the framers of the U.S. Constitution.
The Iroquois Confederacy's Great Law of Peace is a doctrine of 117 codicils that enshrines the values of fairness, justice, citizen well-being, equality, transparency, and respect for diversity. The law emphasizes equal representation and decision-making through consensus, with each nation maintaining its own leadership while coming together to address common causes in the Grand Council of Chiefs. This structure impressed the Founding Fathers, who were seeking a form of government that ensured individual freedoms and empowered the people.
When the Founding Fathers assembled in 1787 to debate the form of government for the United States, they had limited models of democracy to draw upon. Europe lacked contemporary democracies, and the most democratic forms of government they knew were those of Native American nations, particularly the Iroquois Confederacy. The Iroquois Confederacy's ability to unify through mutual defense and conduct foreign affairs while allowing individual tribes to handle their own affairs, such as marriage and divorce, intrigued the Founding Fathers. They sought to emulate this balance of centralized decision-making on common issues and decentralized governance on local matters.
The influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the U.S. Constitution is evident in the values and principles that underpin the nation. The Iroquois Confederacy's emphasis on fairness, justice, and respect for diversity laid the foundation for the U.S. Constitution's commitment to protecting individual freedoms, ensuring equal treatment under the law, and prioritizing the voices and rights of the people. The Iroquois impact on federalism is thus profound, shaping not only the structure of governance but also the underlying values that define the nation.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, historians agree that the US Constitution was based, at least in part, on the principles of the Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois Nation.
The Iroquois Confederacy was a multi-state government formed by the Mohawks, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, and Seneca nations. In around 1722, the Tuscarora nation joined them, and together they formed a federal government that allowed each tribe to maintain its own individual governance and freedoms.
The Iroquois Confederacy was one of the first democracies in the world, and its federal structure impressed the writers of the US Constitution. The Iroquois Confederacy's Great Law of Peace, which focused on equal representation and decision-making via consensus, is said to have inspired the US Constitution's commitment to protecting individual freedoms and ensuring equal treatment under the law.
