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Questions and Answers
What was one of the most democratic forms of government that the delegates of the Constitutional Convention encountered?
What was one of the most democratic forms of government that the delegates of the Constitutional Convention encountered?
Who wrote the three-volume handbook that included descriptions of different types of governments for the Constitutional Convention?
Who wrote the three-volume handbook that included descriptions of different types of governments for the Constitutional Convention?
Which of the following Native American nations was not one of the initial five nations of the Iroquois Confederacy?
Which of the following Native American nations was not one of the initial five nations of the Iroquois Confederacy?
What significant feature did the Iroquois Confederacy provide that European philosophers could not?
What significant feature did the Iroquois Confederacy provide that European philosophers could not?
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In what year did the Tuscarora nation join the Iroquois Confederacy?
In what year did the Tuscarora nation join the Iroquois Confederacy?
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What is a characteristic of the governance structure of the Iroquois Confederacy?
What is a characteristic of the governance structure of the Iroquois Confederacy?
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How did Kickingbird describe the delegates' familiarity with Native governments?
How did Kickingbird describe the delegates' familiarity with Native governments?
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Which philosopher is identified as a constitutional influence alongside the Iroquois Confederacy in Adams' handbook?
Which philosopher is identified as a constitutional influence alongside the Iroquois Confederacy in Adams' handbook?
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What aspect of Iroquois government did the framers of the Constitution seek to borrow?
What aspect of Iroquois government did the framers of the Constitution seek to borrow?
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Why did the framers avoid hereditary rulers when creating the Constitution?
Why did the framers avoid hereditary rulers when creating the Constitution?
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What was Benjamin Franklin's view on the Iroquois Confederacy?
What was Benjamin Franklin's view on the Iroquois Confederacy?
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What did the resolution passed by Congress in 1988 acknowledge?
What did the resolution passed by Congress in 1988 acknowledge?
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What did many of the framers believe about Native Americans despite drawing inspiration from their governance?
What did many of the framers believe about Native Americans despite drawing inspiration from their governance?
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Who testified before the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs regarding Native governance?
Who testified before the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs regarding Native governance?
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What is the significance of the Great Law of Peace in Iroquois history?
What is the significance of the Great Law of Peace in Iroquois history?
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What does the term 'sovereignty' refer to in the context of Native nations?
What does the term 'sovereignty' refer to in the context of Native nations?
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What role did the Iroquois Confederacy play in foreign affairs?
What role did the Iroquois Confederacy play in foreign affairs?
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How did the 1987 bicentennial influence public awareness of Native governance?
How did the 1987 bicentennial influence public awareness of Native governance?
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Study Notes
Constitutional Convention and Native American Influence
- Delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention lacked direct European democratic models for inspiration.
- Native American governments, particularly the Iroquois Confederacy, offered practical examples of governance.
- John Adams's three-volume handbook, surveying different governments and ideas, included Iroquois Confederacy descriptions.
Iroquois Confederacy and its Influence
- The Iroquois Confederacy, founded by the Great Peacemaker, united five (later six) nations.
- The Confederacy demonstrated a multi-state government structure with individual tribal governance (federalism).
- Iroquois political concepts, such as the "people's sovereignty over vast geographic expanses", were potentially sought as models amidst European governance structures.
- Scholars argue that Iroquois governance influenced U.S. Constitutional framers' ideas about federalism.
Framers' Interest and Bias
- The framers sought to borrow aspects of Iroquois government while viewing Native Americans as inferior.
- A 1751 letter from Benjamin Franklin exemplified this bias, describing the Iroquois Union as a surprising feat of a "strange thing."
- The historical bias and violence against Native Americans may have obscured this connection between the Iroquois and constitutional framers. This connection resurfaced around the U.S. Constitution's 200th Anniversary of the signing.
Recognition and Acknowledgement
- Increased awareness of the Iroquois Confederacy's influence emerged in the 1987 constitutional bicentennial.
- Oren Lyons and Donald Grinde testified before Senate committees, promoting acknowledgement of the influence.
- A 1988 congressional resolution formally acknowledged the influence, reaffirming the government-to-government relationship between Native American tribes and the U.S.
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Description
Explore the impact of Native American governance models, particularly the Iroquois Confederacy, on the framers of the U.S. Constitution. This quiz examines how the Iroquois Confederacy's federalism and concepts of sovereignty shaped the ideas of delegates during the 1787 Constitutional Convention.
