Lesson Plan Title: The Haudenosaunee Constitution and its Influence on the US Constitution | |||
Author | Jason Keeler | Date Submitted | November, 2021 |
Communities Represented | Haudenosaunee, Native Americans | Grades | 8th |
Theme/Subject Matter | The philosophical foundations of the United States political system | Standards Covered | MA 8.T1.5
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Materials Needed | Internet Component | n/a | |
Haudenosaunee Constitution
& its Influence on the United States Constitution
Haudenosaunee History
Pronounced (hoo-dee-noh-SHAW-nee)
Commonly known as Iroquois, a name used by the French, or the League of Five Nations, the name used by English settlers.
The proper name is the Haudenosaunee Confederacy
Haudenosaunee History
Haudenosaunee means, “People of the Long House”
The Haudenosaunee lived in long houses that housed members of the family clan
The Haudenosaunee were a matrilineal society, meaning clans were determined by the mother's family. Clans were led by a clan mother.
Haudenosaunee History
The Haudenosaunee is an alliance originally made up of 5 nations:
Haudenosaunee History
The date of origin is contested, one group of researchers determined that the confederacy was founded by the Great Peace Maker in 1142
The original five nations of the confederacy had continuous inter-tribal conflicts. The constant fighting between the nations weakened each of the five nations. The Great Peace Maker and chief of the Onondaga tribe, the wise Hiawatha, traveled to each of the five nation to share the idea of peace.
A meeting was hosted in the Onondaga nation by Hiawatha and Great Law of Peace was presented. This united the five nations into the Haudenosaunee Confederacy
Each of the five nations run somewhat autonomously, but are united under one government
The Great Law of Peace: Haudenosaunee Constitution
The constitution stresses the importance of peace and unity, there was a balance of power between the Confederacy and the individual tribes.
The Confederacy has a council of chiefs. Multiple chiefs are on the council for each tribe. The chiefs are each there as a representative of their clan. The clan mother has the power to promote or demote a chief to represent her clan.
The Great Law separates the chiefs of each nation into two sections; this legislature also had procedure in place for passing laws
There is a delineation of power to declare war
The Great Law of Peace: Haudenosaunee Constitution
If the Haudenosaunee Confederacy was founded in the 1142, it is one of the oldest democratic nations to still exist – although not the same form of democracy outline by the US constitution, it gave framers an idea of how a representative democratic government could function.
The Great Law of Peace: Haudenosaunee Constitution
There are many similarities between both Constitutions
Although both maintain a balance of power, one major difference in the legislature procedures is the elected officials in the US Constitution verse those appointed officials representing each clan.
How did the framers learn about the Haudenosaunee Constitution?
Haudenosaunee Acknowledgement
In 1988, the U.S. congress acknowledged the influence of the Great Law of Peace as an influence on the U.S. Constitution
“the Congress, on the occasion of the two hundredth anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution, acknowledges the contribution made by the Iroquois Confederacy and other Indian Nations to the formation and development of the United States…”
“The Haudenosaunee Confederacy thrives today and continues to enjoy the support of the Six Nations as their representative government even though an elective system was established in 1924.”
– Haudenosaunee Confederacy
References
Democracy and the Iroquois Constitution – Fieldmuseum.org
Haudenosaunee Confederacy – Haudenosauneeconfederacy.com
How the Iroquois Great Law Of Peace Shaped U.S. Democracy – PBS.org
The Native American Government that Inspired the US Constitution – History.com