Simone Lawson
Dekanawida, also known as the Great Peacemaker, was one of the founders of the Iroquois Confederacy, or Five Nations, an alliance of five, later six, American Indian tribes located in modern-day New York state. The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, was established in the mid-16th century by five original tribes: the Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, and Cayuga, and later included the Tuscarora tribe. The main purpose of the Iroquois Constitution was to guide the confederacy in ruling its people wisely and peacefully, promoting a unified governance structure, and maintaining peace and cooperation among the tribes. The Great Peacemaker travelled to different settlements to spread his message of peace, working all his life to bring his vision to fruition.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| To guide the confederacy in ruling its people wisely and peacefully | |
| To detail how meetings of the Confederacy will be conducted | |
| To outline laws of immigration | |
| To define rights of foreign nations | |
| To establish laws concerning war | |
| To maintain peace and cooperation among the tribes | |
| To promote a unified governance structure | |
| To include principles resembling checks and balances | |
| To define the rights and responsibilities of each member tribe |
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What You'll Learn
To guide the confederacy in ruling its people wisely and peacefully
The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, was established in the mid-16th century by Dekanawida, the Great Peacemaker, along with Jigonhsasee and Hiawatha. It was founded to guide the confederacy in ruling its people wisely and peacefully. The Iroquois Confederacy, or Five Nations, was an alliance of five, later six, American Indian tribes located in modern-day New York state. The laws, or constitution, are divided into 117 articles.
The main purpose of this constitution was to detail how meetings of the Confederacy would be conducted, laws of immigration, rights of foreign nations, and laws of war. The constitution was designed to maintain peace and cooperation among the tribes, promoting a unified governance structure. It included principles resembling checks and balances, defined the rights and responsibilities of each member tribe, and outlined laws concerning war and foreign relations.
The Iroquois Constitution emphasized democratic values and sought to protect the rights of individuals within the Confederacy. Each tribe had matrilineal kinship systems of descent and property-holding, and power was shared between the sexes. Men held the positions of hereditary chiefs through their mother's line, and clan mothers ruled on the fitness of chiefs and could depose any that they opposed. Most decisions in the council were made by consensus, to which each representative had an equal voice.
The Iroquois Constitution had a significant influence on various social and political structures, particularly inspiring some of the Founding Fathers of the United States as they drafted their own Constitution.
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To detail how meetings of the Confederacy will be conducted
The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, was established in the 16th century by six Native American tribes: the Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and later the Tuscarora tribe. It was designed to maintain peace and cooperation among the tribes, promoting a unified governance structure. The Iroquois Confederacy, or Five Nations, was an alliance of five, later six, American Indian tribes located in modern-day New York state.
The constitution's primary purpose was to guide the confederacy in governing its people harmoniously and justly, emphasizing democratic principles and laws related to peace and cooperation. It was also intended to detail how meetings of the Confederacy would be conducted, including the laws of immigration, rights of foreign nations, and laws of war.
The Great Peacemaker, Dekanawida, travelled to different settlements to spread his message of peace. He established a council of clan and village chiefs to govern the confederacy, with power shared between the sexes. Men held the positions of hereditary chiefs through their mother's line, while clan mothers ruled on the fitness of chiefs and could depose any that they opposed. Most decisions in the council were made by consensus, with each representative having an equal voice.
The Iroquois Constitution had a significant influence on the development of the U.S. Constitution and Anglo-American ideas of democracy. The Founding Fathers of the United States were inspired by its structured approach and commitment to peace, and the constitution's framework included principles resembling checks and balances. The original framers of the U.S. Constitution, including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, greatly admired the concepts of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, and the democratic principles were incorporated into the U.S. Constitution.
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To outline laws of immigration and rights of foreign nations
The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, was established in the mid-16th century by Dekanawida, the Great Peacemaker, along with Jigonhsasee and Hiawatha. The Iroquois Confederacy, or Five Nations, was an alliance of five, later six, American Indian tribes located in modern-day New York state. The constitution was designed to maintain peace and cooperation among the tribes, promoting a unified governance structure.
The main purpose of the Iroquois Constitution was to guide the confederacy in ruling its people wisely and peacefully. It outlined how meetings of the Confederacy would be conducted, laws of immigration, rights of foreign nations, and laws of war. The constitution emphasized democratic values and sought to protect the rights of individuals within the Confederacy.
The Great Peacemaker established a council of clan and village chiefs to govern the confederacy. In each tribe, which had matrilineal kinship systems of descent and property-holding, power was shared between the sexes. Men held the positions of hereditary chiefs through their mother's line, and clan mothers ruled on the fitness of chiefs and could depose any that they opposed. Most decisions in the council were made by consensus, with each representative having an equal voice.
The Iroquois Constitution had a significant influence on various social and political structures, particularly inspiring some of the Founding Fathers of the United States as they drafted their own Constitution. The oral laws and customs of the Great Law of Peace became the constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy, which was established by the 16th century or earlier. The constitution's commitment to peace and democratic principles, as well as its framework resembling checks and balances, made it a vital document in the governance of the tribes.
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To establish laws concerning war
The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, was established in the 16th century by Dekanawida, the Great Peacemaker, along with Jigonhsasee and Hiawatha. The main purpose of the constitution was to guide the confederacy in ruling its people wisely and peacefully.
The Iroquois Confederacy, or Five Nations, was an alliance of five, later six, American Indian tribes located in modern-day New York state. The laws, divided into 117 articles, detail how meetings of the Confederacy will be conducted, laws of immigration, rights of foreign nations, and laws of war.
The Iroquois Constitution was primarily designed to guide the confederacy in governing its people harmoniously and justly. It emphasized democratic principles and laws related to peace and cooperation. Its influence extended to the development of the U.S. Constitution as well.
Dekanawida's primary purpose for writing this constitution was to establish laws concerning war. The Iroquois Confederacy was an alliance of several tribes, and the constitution sought to promote a unified governance structure and maintain peace and cooperation among the tribes. The Great Peacemaker travelled to different settlements to spread his message of peace. The constitution detailed how meetings would be conducted, defined the rights and responsibilities of each member tribe, and outlined laws concerning war and foreign relations. It emphasized democratic values and sought to protect the rights of individuals within the Confederacy.
The Iroquois Constitution had a significant influence on various social and political structures, particularly inspiring some of the Founding Fathers of the United States as they drafted their own Constitution. Through its structured approach and commitment to peace, the Iroquois Constitution served as a vital document in the governance of the tribes, promoting peace and cooperation among them.
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To promote a unified governance structure
The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, was established in the mid-16th century by Dekanawida, the Great Peacemaker, along with Jigonhsasee and Hiawatha. The five original tribes that formed the Iroquois Confederacy were the Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, and Cayuga, and they were later joined by the Tuscarora tribe.
The main purpose of the Iroquois Constitution was to guide the confederacy in ruling its people wisely and peacefully. It emphasized democratic principles, laws related to peace and cooperation, and sought to protect the rights of individuals within the Confederacy. The constitution had a significant influence on the Founding Fathers of the United States as they drafted their own Constitution, particularly on the development of democratic ideals and the separation of powers.
One of Dekanawida's primary purposes for writing the Iroquois Constitution was to promote a unified governance structure among the tribes. The Iroquois Confederacy, or Five Nations, was an alliance of five, later six, American Indian tribes located in modern-day New York state. The constitution's framework included principles resembling checks and balances, with a focus on maintaining peace and cooperation among the tribes.
The Iroquois Constitution detailed how meetings of the Confederacy would be conducted, including the laws of movement and immigration. It defined the rights and responsibilities of each member tribe, ensuring that each tribe had a voice and that power was shared between the sexes. The constitution also outlined laws concerning war and foreign relations, emphasizing the importance of peace and justice.
Through its structured approach and commitment to peace, the Iroquois Constitution served as a vital document in promoting a unified governance structure among the tribes. It provided a framework for decision-making and conflict resolution, allowing the tribes to work together harmoniously while still maintaining their individual identities and rights.
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Frequently asked questions
The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, was established in the mid-16th century by five original tribes: the Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, and Cayuga, and later included the Tuscarora tribe.
Also known as the Great Peacemaker, Dekanawida's primary purpose for writing the Iroquois Constitution was to guide the confederacy in ruling its people wisely and peacefully.
The Iroquois Constitution detailed how meetings of the Confederacy would be conducted, laws of immigration, rights of foreign nations, and laws of war. It emphasized democratic principles, laws related to peace, and cooperation.
The U.S. Constitution was influenced by the political system developed by the Iroquois Confederacy, as were many of the democratic principles incorporated into the Constitution.
Dekanawida, the Great Peacemaker, prophesied that a "white serpent" would come to his people's lands, befriend them, and then deceive them. He foretold that a "red serpent" would later wage war against the "white serpent", but a Native American boy would be given a great power and be accepted as a chosen leader by the people of "the land of the hilly country."
