Omar Bennett
The US Constitution, signed in 1787, was influenced by various sources, including European Enlightenment philosophers and ancient Athenian democracy. However, it is important to acknowledge the impact of Indigenous Northeastern American groups, specifically the Iroquois Confederacy, on the founding document. The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee, consisted of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas, and later, the Tuscaroras. Their political system, which included the separation of military and civil leadership and the protection of certain personal freedoms, provided a real-life example of the federalist principles that influenced the Constitution. Benjamin Franklin, who studied their systems of governance, and other Founding Fathers were familiar with and negotiated treaties with these Native nations, and their influence extended to the inclusion of the eagle with 13 arrows on the US $1 bill, representing the 13 original colonies.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Separation of military and civil leadership | |
| Protection of certain personal freedoms, including freedom of religion | |
| Democratic policies for referendums, vetoes, and recalls | |
| Large role for women in government | |
| Federalism | |
| Separation of powers | |
| Impeachment procedures | |
| Unity, liberty, and equality |
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What You'll Learn
Influence of the Iroquois Confederacy
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee, is believed to have influenced the US Constitution. The Iroquois Confederacy dates back several centuries, to when the Great Peacemaker founded it by uniting five nations: the Mohawks, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, the Oneida, and the Seneca. In around 1722, the Tuscarora nation joined the Iroquois, collectively forming a multi-state government while maintaining their own individual governance.
The Iroquois, along with other Indigenous groups, had a system of governance that was familiar to the Founding Fathers. Benjamin Franklin, for instance, was closely involved in negotiating and printing treaties with the Iroquois Confederacy and studied their systems of governance. In 1751, Franklin wrote to his printer colleague James Parker, acknowledging the Iroquois' ability to form a union that "appears indissoluble". The Founding Fathers who signed the Constitution had deep familiarity with Native nations, some having negotiated treaties or engaged in diplomatic relations with them.
The Iroquois Confederacy provided a real-life example of some of the political concepts the Founding Fathers were interested in adopting in the US. The Iroquois Confederacy, for instance, generally separated military and civil leadership, guarded certain personal freedoms including freedom of religion, and included somewhat democratic policies for referendums, vetoes, and recalls. The Iroquois Confederacy also gave women a large role in government, something that wouldn’t be included in the US Constitution for over a century.
In 1987, Oren Lyons, a Faithkeeper for the Iroquois Confederacy, brought up the subject of the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the US Constitution before the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs. This led the committee’s chair, Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, to help pass a resolution in 1988 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”.
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The Haudenosaunee's Great Law of Peace
The Haudenosaunee, or the Iroquois Confederacy, is a union of six nations: the Mohawks, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, the Oneida, the Seneca, and the Tuscarora. The Great Peacemaker, Dekanawidah, and his spokesman Hiawatha united these nations under the Great Law of Peace, also known as Gayanashagowa or Kayanere:kowa. This oral constitution was represented by symbols on wampum belts, which served as mnemonic devices for storytellers.
The Great Law of Peace is comprised of 117 articles that outline laws and ceremonies to be performed at prescribed times. It establishes the separation of powers, with each nation or tribe playing a delineated role in the conduct of government. Each nation has a War Chief responsible for carrying messages for their Lords and taking up arms in emergencies. The War Chief does not participate in the proceedings of the Confederate Council but must watch its progress and convey the warnings of the women and complaints of the people to the Lords.
The Law emphasizes peace, patience, and welfare for the people of the Confederacy. It encourages calm deliberation in all deliberations and law-making processes, casting self-interest aside. It also promotes unity and strength within the Confederacy, stating that those who submit to foreign laws will be considered outside the Confederacy and will forfeit their birthrights and claims.
The Great Law of Peace has been recognized as influencing the US Constitution. Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, and other framers of the Constitution are believed to have been inspired by the democratic ideals and federal structure of the Iroquois Confederacy. The separation of powers and notions of individual liberty reflected in the US Constitution may also have been influenced by the Great Law of Peace.
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Indigenous law and constitutional interpretations
The US Constitution, signed in 1787, was influenced by a variety of sources, including European Enlightenment philosophers and ancient Athenian democracy. However, it is important to acknowledge the influence of Indigenous law and constitutional interpretations on the US Constitution, particularly those of the Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee.
The Iroquois Confederacy was a union of six nations: the Mohawks, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Seneca, and the Tuscarora nation, which joined in the early 18th century. This multi-state government maintained individual governance for each nation while also forming a federal system. The Iroquois Confederacy has been acknowledged by historians and legal scholars as significantly influencing the US Constitution, particularly due to its real-life example of federalist principles in action.
The Founding Fathers who signed the Constitution had varying levels of familiarity with Native nations, with some having negotiated treaties or engaged in diplomatic relations. Benjamin Franklin, for instance, was closely involved with the Iroquois Confederacy and studied their systems of governance. John Adams also referenced Native governments in his three-volume survey of political theory, "A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America."
The Iroquois Confederacy's influence can be seen in certain democratic principles incorporated into the US Constitution. The Iroquois, for example, generally separated military and civil leadership, guarded personal freedoms such as freedom of religion, and included democratic policies for referendums, vetoes, and recalls. The Iroquois Confederacy also gave women a significant role in government, a principle that would take over a century to be realized in the US Constitution with the passage of the 19th Amendment.
In addition to the Iroquois, other Indigenous groups also influenced the development of constitutional thought in the United States. The Cherokee, for instance, had chiefs who dined with Thomas Jefferson's father, and the Delaware and Iroquois interacted with those in Philadelphia. The Shawnee, Cherokee, and other political formations also contributed to the influence on the Founding Fathers' thinking with their principles of government structure.
The influence of Indigenous law and constitutional interpretations on the US Constitution was not always fully recognized or acknowledged. The constitutional framers, for example, viewed Indigenous people as inferior even as they admired their federalist principles. However, in 1988, Congress passed a resolution formally acknowledging the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the US Constitution and reaffirming the government-to-government relationship between Indian tribes and the United States. This resolution helped to recognize the legitimacy and sovereignty of Native nations and their governments.
In conclusion, the US Constitution was shaped by a variety of influences, including Indigenous law and constitutional interpretations, particularly those of the Iroquois Confederacy. By recognizing and incorporating certain Indigenous principles, the Founding Fathers helped to create a more inclusive and democratic nation.
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Native nations' diplomatic relations
Native nations and their governments had diplomatic relationships with the US. The Founding Fathers who signed the Constitution were familiar with Native nations, and some had negotiated treaties or engaged in diplomatic relations with them. Benjamin Franklin, for instance, was closely involved in negotiating and printing treaties with Native nations, including the Iroquois Confederacy, and studied their systems of governance.
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee, is often cited as a key influence on the US Constitution. The Iroquois Confederacy was a union of six nations: the Mohawks, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, the Oneida, the Seneca, and the Tuscarora nation, which joined in 1722. Each nation maintained its individual governance while forming a multi-state government. This stacked-government model, along with certain indigenous concepts, may have influenced the framers of the US Constitution.
The Iroquois, like other Native American nations, generally separated military and civil leadership, guarded certain personal freedoms, and included democratic policies for referendums, vetoes, and recalls. Most also gave women a large role in government, something that was lacking in the US Constitution for over a century.
The influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the US Constitution was formally acknowledged by Congress in a 1988 resolution. This resolution also reaffirmed the "continuing government-to-government relationship between Indian tribes and the United States established in the Constitution," recognizing the legitimacy and sovereignty of Native nations and their governments.
Beyond the Iroquois, other Native American nations, such as the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Creek, developed stable constitutional governments throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. These nations had their own constitutional interpretations and legal traditions, contributing to a broader understanding of America's democratic heritage.
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The separation of military and civil leadership
The US Constitution was signed in 1787, marking the birth of a democratic government. While schools often attribute the intellectual origins of the Constitution to ancient Athens and the European Enlightenment, several scholars have argued that the ideas of the Indigenous peoples of North America played a significant role in influencing the framers of the Constitution. One Indigenous group that is said to have had a notable impact on the structure of the US government is the Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee.
The Iroquois Confederacy was a union of six nations: the Mohawks, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, the Oneida, the Seneca, and the Tuscarora nation, which joined in the early 18th century. Each nation maintained its individual governance while being part of this multi-state government, a concept known as the "stacked-government model". This model of governance, which included the separation of military and civil leadership, was studied by the Founding Fathers, some of whom had negotiated treaties or engaged in diplomatic relations with Native nations.
Benjamin Franklin, for example, was closely involved in treaty negotiations with the Iroquois Confederacy and studied their systems of governance. He also printed and distributed the speeches of Canassatego, a leader of the Onondaga nation, which included advice to the British colonists. Franklin's writings reveal his admiration for the political structures of the Iroquois, whom he believed had formed a strong and lasting union despite being viewed as "ignorant savages" by some.
John Adams, another Founding Father, referenced Native governments in his three-volume survey of political theory, "A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America". The Iroquois Confederacy's influence can also be seen in the Great Seal of the United States, which features an eagle with a bundle of 13 arrows. This image was originally a Haudenosaunee metaphor representing the strength that comes from unity, with each arrow symbolising one tribe.
In 1987, Oren Lyons, a Faithkeeper for the Iroquois Confederacy, brought up the subject of the Iroquois influence on the US Constitution before the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs. This led to Congress passing a resolution in 1988 that formally acknowledged the impact of the Iroquois Confederacy on the US Constitution. The resolution also reaffirmed the government-to-government relationship between Indian tribes and the United States established in the Constitution, recognising the sovereignty of Native nations and their governments.
In conclusion, while the US Constitution was undoubtedly influenced by European thought and Enlightenment philosophers, it is evident that the political structures and philosophies of Indigenous groups, particularly the Iroquois Confederacy, played a significant and often under-recognised role in shaping the democratic principles and structure of the US government. The separation of military and civil leadership, as practised by the Iroquois and other Indigenous groups, was one of the many concepts that influenced the framers of the US Constitution.
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Frequently asked questions
The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee, is said to have influenced the US Constitution.
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 was a multi-state government formed by six nations while maintaining their individual governance. This stacked-government model influenced the thinking of the constitutional framers.
Other Indigenous groups that may have influenced the US Constitution include the Cherokee, the Shawnee, the Delaware, and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.
The US Constitution was influenced by the democratic principles and political systems of Indigenous groups. The Founding Fathers who signed the Constitution had familiarity with Native nations and negotiated treaties or engaged in diplomatic relations with them. Some features of Indigenous philosophy and governance are reflected in the US Constitution, such as the separation of powers and the inclusion of certain personal freedoms.
