[philipreboli]

Can anyone tell me if the following resolution is accurate?

Congress has recognized the contributions of the Iroquois Confederacy and the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the Founding Fathers in the drafting of the Constitution of the United States with the concepts of—
(1) freedom of speech;
(2) the separation of governmental powers; and
(3) the system of checks and balances between the branches of government;

[evassar92]

Hey Phil,

Professor Woods addresses this question in his book, 33 Questions You Aren’t Supposed to Ask about American History. Essentially, from what I remember, Congress did pass a resolution acknowledging the contribution the Iroquois Confederacy had on the US Constitution, but Dr. Woods says that the Iroquois nation had zero influence on anything that went into the Constitution. I believe all that is mentioned during that period is a letter written by Benjamin Franklin stating that if the Native Americans could form a Confederacy for their defense, then the Colonies could. This, however, was during the American War for Independence not during the formation and ratification of the Constitution.

Hope that helps,

Evan

[Author]

Posts