Iroquois Constitution

The Iroquois Constitution forms the first democratic republic and example of sovereign governance by the consent of a people in North American history. The confederacy of the League of Five Nations, who constructed the Iroquois Constitution, preceded the European colonization. Historical records and references provide evidence of the strong influence the Iroquois legislative process and constitution had on shaping the ideas and words of the US Constitution. Specific and distinct similarities unquestionably mark the Iroquois Constitution as a strongly influential model America’s founding fathers used in forming our United States Constitution, despite criticism to the contrary. The connection between the two is referred to as the Influence Theory. The precise date of origination of the Iroquois Constitution is difficult to place, since no written language existed. The oral record was committed to memory, and passed down to the children through song and storytelling. The only tangible artifacts preserved were beaded belts of shells. Historians often have noted the Iroquois’ oratorical skills and their excellence with the spoken word. The oral history of the Iroquois is imprecise, and some sources place the date of their constitution as early as 1100 AD while others insist it was later, about 1450-1500 AD. Scholars use the first recorded league Grand Council in 1535, called the Welcome at the Woods’ Edge by French Explorer Jacques Cartier, as a reference point, establishing that the confederacy had been established before then (Favor 31). Though the specific years are not determined, the outside range makes it unquestionable that, in any case, Iroquois had established it well before the colonization. All the Iroquois woodland Indians people spoke the same language, believed in the same gods and had many similar customs, but there was endless infighting. The legend tells that long ago, the Creator sent Peacemakers to teach cooperation and tolerance to