Native American Impact on Government

The Onondaga Wampum belt called the "Hiawatha Belt" for one of the leaders who helped create the confederation.

The creation of the articles of confederation and later the constitution were not the brainchild of the founding fathers alone. Rather, they were a collection of beliefs and ideas they collected from a variety of different philosophers and sources. It would all be contained in a written form to base as the principles of the nation. When many begin to think of major influences for the creation of the U.S. government at its conception, they usually go to western enlightenment thinkers like Hobbes' idea of the state of nature¹, Locke’s concept of entitlement to life liberty, and property², and Rousseau’s right to revolt against unjust government³ along with several others. Many do not credit the Iroquois confederation for its inspiration given to the founding fathers. The two most prominent of these being Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, some of the writers who would assist in the creation of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution respectively. 

Before their influence on two major Founding Fathers of the United States, the Iriquois (also known as Haudenosaunee) already had a hand in American Politics. With their hand in trading between the colonies and European nations, as well as their conflicts like the 7 years war, Natives would also negotiate terms with colonies and European powers. One of the most notable examples being the Treaty of Lancaster in 1744.⁴ Here the Commissioners of Virginia and Maryland discussed terms between the six nations in the Iroquois Confederacy (Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneka, and the Tuscarora), one speaker, Cassatego, earned himself respect among many delegates at the meeting. He would make a speech during delegations explaining how the confederation works, urging the colonies to follow suit forming a union. He was quoted to have said, “ We have one thing further to say, and that is, We heartily recommend Union and a good Agreement between you our Brethren. Never disagree, but preserve a strict friendship for one another, and thereby you, as well as we, will become stronger.” Now were these words completely genuine and full of good intent? It's not out of the question but one must remember this was a negotiation, after all this deal had them concede land rights in exchange for weapons. Despite this, it was that speech that would help further inspire future activists in the coming decades. 

The Iroquois would come up again in 1754 in the way of an Albany Congress session.⁵ Franklin, running a printing company in 1744, would become deeply absorbed in treaties and negotiations at the time. He surely heard of the treaty of Lancaster of the same year. Nearly a decade later, he would get to see the Confederacy firsthand. Here they would both find new found inspiration for the construction of government. A chief of the Iroquois, a man named Hendrick, would explain the model of the Confederacy.  In the Haudenosaunee form of governance one could see a replication by the fledgling nation. Franklin was impressed by their complexity, with a separation of powers, a higher and lower house of legislature, and a system of checks and balances. Franklin would draw from this experience for his first model of American government. While this first model would never be put to use, Thomas Jefferson would draw from Franklin's model and bring him on as an editor while he wrote the Declaration of Independence. He would carry on Franklin’s respect and views of the Iroquois.

The United States government would draw much inspiration from Iroquois leaders and systems to refine the system of government they wanted to create. They would even adopt a symbol of the Haudenosaunee, a bundle of arrows, each representing a respective tribe. We see this on the back of the U.S. one dollar bill, where the eagle hold a olive branch in one hand, and a bundle of arrows in another.⁶ Despite this, many do not know or underplay  the sway the Iroquois held, but Franklin would write in support of these tribes, remarking at their ingenuity to come up with a system such as this.

1Hobbes, Thomas. “The Project Gutenberg eBook of Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes.” Edited by Edward White and David Widger. Project Gutenberg. Accessed November 27, 2024. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3207/3207-h/3207-h.htm.

2:Locke, John. Two treatises on government by John Locke, n.d.

3:Rousseau, Jean-Jaques. “The Social Contract and Discourses.” Edited by G.D.H. Cole. Online Library of Liberty. Accessed November 27, 2024. https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/cole-the-social-contract-and-discourses. 4: "Treaty of Lancaster, 1744", Tribal Treaties Database, accessed November 26th, 2024, https://treaties.okstate.edu/treaties/treaty-of-lancaster-1744-21777

5:"Influence on Democracy", Haudenosaunee Confederacy Website, accessed November 26th, 2024, https://www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.com/influence-on-democracy/

6: "From Benjamin Franklin to James Parker 20 of March, 1751" Founder Online Website, accessed November 26th, 2024, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-04-02-0037