Jonah Patel
The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, is a constitution that united the five nations of the Iroquois Confederacy: the Mohawk, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, the Oneida, and the Seneca. In 1722, the Tuscarora nation joined the Iroquois, also known as the Haudenosaunee, bringing the total number of nations to six. The Iroquois Constitution has been recognized as a significant influence on the U.S. Constitution, with its democratic principles and federalist ideas inspiring the framers of the U.S. Constitution. The Iroquois Constitution was established before major European contact and was recorded using wampum belts, which served as mnemonic devices for storytellers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Founding | The Iroquois Confederacy was founded by the Great Peacemaker, uniting five nations: the Mohawk, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, the Oneida, and the Seneca. The Tuscarora nation joined in 1722, and together, these six nations formed a multi-state government while maintaining their own individual governance. |
| Governance | Each tribe sent its leaders to a legislative session, where proposals, cases, or questions were deliberated and voted on. The Mohawks were considered the leaders of the Iroquois. |
| Leadership | The chiefs of the six nations were hereditary rulers, with the right to attend council meetings inherited through the female line. The constitution established a process for removing and selecting new lords, with the council of war chiefs playing a significant role in this process and in times of war. |
| Law and Order | The Great Law of Peace established the rights, duties, and qualifications for the male lords who attended the council. Lords were expected to uphold high moral standards and refrain from gossip or dishonesty. |
| Foreign Relations | The Iroquois Confederacy was about unification through mutual defense and the conduct of foreign affairs. |
| Influence on U.S. Constitution | The Iroquois Confederacy and the Great Law of Peace influenced the democratic principles, federalist principles, and democratic ideals incorporated into the U.S. Constitution. The confederation of the original 13 colonies into one republic was inspired by the political system developed by the Iroquois. |
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What You'll Learn
The Iroquois Confederacy's influence on the US Constitution
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee or the People of the Long House, is a union of six Native American tribes: the Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Seneca, and Tuscarora nations. The Confederacy is governed by a constitution called the Great Law of Peace, which established an egalitarian society ruled by a council.
The Iroquois Confederacy has been cited as a source of inspiration for the US Constitution, particularly in the way it united multiple states under one republic while maintaining individual governance and freedoms. In 1988, Congress passed a resolution formally acknowledging this influence.
The Iroquois Confederacy dates back several centuries, to when the Great Peacemaker founded it by uniting five nations. In around 1722, the Tuscarora nation joined the Iroquois. The Confederacy's constitution, the Great Law of Peace, was passed down through the generations by spoken word and consists of a narrative telling the origins of the Iroquois people and the story of the founders of the confederacy.
The legislative process of the Iroquois involved each tribe sending its leaders to a session where proposals, cases, or questions would be deliberated and voted on. The Mohawks were considered the leaders of the Iroquois, and no council occurred without them. The Iroquois constitution established a legislative body that balanced power between several nations, with the Great Law of Peace establishing the rights, duties, and qualifications for the lords that the tribes would send to the council.
When the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met in 1787, there were no contemporary democracies in Europe from which they could draw inspiration. 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. Benjamin Franklin, for example, 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 Confederation was not a direct model for the US Constitution, and there is limited evidence of its influence in the records of the Constitutional Convention. The constitutional framers also viewed Indigenous people as inferior, and the chiefs of the six nations were hereditary rulers, something the framers wanted to avoid. Nonetheless, the Iroquois Confederacy's democratic principles and federalist concepts, such as the focus on "unification through mutual defense and the conduct of foreign affairs," likely influenced the thinking of the constitutional framers.
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The Great Peacemaker and the founding of the Iroquois Confederacy
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee, is a union of Native American tribes initially established in roughly 1450. The Confederacy included the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca nations. In the 1700s, the Tuscarora became the sixth nation to join the Confederacy.
The Iroquois Confederacy was founded by the Great Peacemaker, also known as Deganawidah, who united the five nations. The Great Peacemaker is said to have travelled across the warring indigenous tribes to spread his message of peace and cooperation. He prophesied that a "white serpent" would come to his people's lands, deceive them, and that a "red serpent" would later make war against the "white serpent". However, a Native American boy would be given great power and be accepted as a chosen leader.
One of the Great Peacemaker's first converts was the warrior woman Jigonhsee, whose hearth had provided hospitality to warriors from rival tribes. Another early convert was Hiawatha, who is credited in Native American tradition as the founder of the Iroquois Confederacy. Hiawatha and the Great Peacemaker worked together to spread their message of peace and convince the leaders of the Five Nations to "bury the hatchet".
The Great Peacemaker established a council of clan and village chiefs to govern the confederacy. The council consisted of male lords from each tribe, who were selected by the women leaders of their families. The council had the power to declare war and remove wayward lords. The Iroquois Confederacy was governed by the Great Law of Peace, which established an egalitarian society ruled by this council. The laws and customs of the Great Law of Peace were passed down orally through the generations and recorded in a pictographic system in the form of wampum belts.
The Iroquois Confederacy has been recognized as having a significant influence on the democratic principles incorporated into the U.S. Constitution. The confederation of the original Thirteen Colonies into one republic was influenced by the political system developed by the Iroquois Confederacy. Benjamin Franklin, for example, 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.
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The Great Law of Peace
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee, was formed around 900 CE or roughly 1450, when the Great Peacemaker founded it by uniting five nations: the Mohawks, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, the Oneida, and the Seneca. The Great Peacemaker, whose birth name has been lost to history, travelled across the warring indigenous tribes to spread his message of peace and cooperation. Deganawidah, a prophet, is believed to be the Great Peacemaker. Hiawatha, a warrior woman named Jigonhsee, and other early converts accompanied him on his journey.
The Iroquois Confederacy constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, established an egalitarian society ruled by a council. The legislative body balanced power between several nations. The Great Law of Peace established the rights, duties, and qualifications for the male lords the tribes would send to this council. The council could also remove or select new lords. The Mohawks were considered the leaders of the Iroquois as they chose to follow the Great Prophet first.
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The legislative process of the Iroquois
The Iroquois Confederation, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy, was founded in the late sixteenth century. It consisted of five tribes: the Cayuga, Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, and Seneca. In the early eighteenth century, the Tuscarora tribe joined the confederation, and the tribes collectively became known as the Six Nations. The Iroquois communities were organised into matrilineal clans, and chiefs could be removed by the women of the tribe.
The Iroquois Confederation was governed by a Grand Council, a representative democracy consisting of fifty chiefs from each tribe. The Onondaga sent fourteen chiefs to the council, the Cayuga, ten, the Oneida and Mohawk, nine each, and the Seneca, eight. The Tuscarora were non-voting members. The council met in a long house in the centrally located Onondaga.
The Iroquois constitution, known as the Great Law of Peace, established an egalitarian society ruled by a council. It provided rules for the government and organised Iroquois society. The constitution was passed down through the generations by spoken word and preserved in wampum (strings of beads used as a memory aid). The Great Law of Peace established the rights, duties, and qualifications for the male lords the tribes would send to the council. Lords were expected to behave honourably and not gossip or be dishonest. The right to attend council meetings was inherited through the female line, and mothers had significant influence over their sons, the representatives. If a lord could not attend, the woman leader of his family would select an alternative. The constitution also established a process to remove wayward lords by the recommendation of a council of the various war chiefs of the nations.
The Iroquois Confederacy's system of shared governance among the various nations provided a model for the federal structure of the United States. The concept of federalism and representative democracy found in the Iroquois system influenced the structure of the U.S. Constitution, with its balance of power between state and federal governments.
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The role of war chiefs in the Iroquois Confederacy
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois League, Five Nations, and later the Six Nations, was a union of Native American tribes in the lands that are today the modern-day state of New York and beyond. It was founded by the Great Peacemaker, bringing together five distinct nations in the southern Great Lakes area into "The Great League of Peace". The Iroquois Confederacy dates back several centuries, with estimates of its founding ranging from 1142 to 1660, with most sources citing a date around 1450.
The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, was passed through the generations by spoken word. It consists of a narrative telling the origins of the Iroquois people and the story of the founders of the confederacy. The constitution established an egalitarian society ruled by a council, with each tribe sending its leaders to legislative sessions.
The War Chiefs of the Iroquois played an important role in this political system. There was one War Chief for each Nation, and they were selected from the eligible sons of the female families holding the head Lordship titles. They served as advisors to the council and delivered messages between the people and the council. They also served as diplomats and played a significant role in times of war. The War Chiefs could also receive complaints about a Lord's actions and convey warnings from the women to him.
The War Chiefs themselves could be removed from their positions if they acted contrary to the instructions or the provisions of the Laws of the Great Peace. In such cases, the women title holders would choose another candidate.
The Iroquois Confederacy influenced the writings of the U.S. Constitution. The confederacy's principles of federalism and unification through mutual defense impressed the framers of the U.S. Constitution, who were seeking to establish a government that asserted the sovereignty of the people.
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Frequently asked questions
The Iroquois Constitution, also known as the Great Law of Peace, is a set of rules that governed the Iroquois Confederacy, a union of Native American tribes.
The Iroquois Constitution aimed to organise Iroquois society and establish rules for its government. It also set out the rights, duties, and qualifications for the male lords of the tribes.
The Iroquois Constitution established an egalitarian society ruled by a council. Each tribe sent leaders to legislative sessions, where proposals were deliberated and decisions were made through a balanced process. The constitution also emphasised the importance of diplomacy and communal living.
The Iroquois Constitution provided a real-life example of federalism and democratic principles that influenced the framers of the U.S. Constitution. The concept of a "voluntary union" of multiple states, as described by Benjamin Franklin in 1751, is believed to be inspired by the Iroquois Confederacy.
