may 12, 1600 - Formation of the Iroquois Confederacy
(Tuscarora joined in 1722)
Description:
The Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the Haudenosaunee Confederacy) was founded as a cooperative and peacekeeping organization among the Five Nations of the Iroquois - Mohawks, Oneidas, Cayugas, Onondagas, and Senecas. The Iroquois Confederacy is often referred to as one of the first and longest lasting participatory democracies in the world. At the time of first contact between Aboriginal peoples and Europeans, most European societies were absolute monarchies, with power focused exclusively to royalty, nobility, and the church. Aboriginal society was already light years ahead of Europeans in terms of equal rights, because women had large roles in the Iroquois community, as they were keeps of the culture, responsible for defining social norms, and clan mothers, who elected the chiefs of the nation. Unlike European Monarch's there was a division of power in Iroquois Society, with each tribe comprising of their chiefs and elders, and the clan mothers electing and supervising the chiefs. "The confederation of the original 13 colonies into one republic was influenced by the political system developed by the Iroquois Confederacy, as were many of the democratic principles which were incorporated into the constitution itself." was a statement given by the U.S. Senate in 1987. The case for Iroquois influence on the U.S can be seen in the similarites in government structure between the U.S. and Iroquois. Like America, the Iroquois system also had aspects of a representational democracy, how the tribes would come together to form an overarching government to address issues of common importance is similar to the individual states governing themselves through state government, but also coming together to form the United States of America.
Added to timeline:
Related Issue 2 Part 1
Origins of Liberalism and Early Responses
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