Haudenosaunee Confederacy (jan 1, 1500 – jan 1, 1776)

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Called the Iroquois Confederacy by the French and the League of Five Nations by the English; the confederacy, made up of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas, was intended as a way to unite the nations and create a peaceful means of decision making. Through the confederacy, each of the nations of the Haudenosaunee are united by a common goal to live in harmony. Each nation maintains its own council with Chiefs chosen by the Clan Mother and deals with its own internal affairs but allows the Grand Council to deal with issues affecting the nations within the confederacy.

The main principles of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy are parallel to principles found in classical liberalism; equal separation of power across different branches of government, all citizens were allowed to participate in the decision making process (especially women, who had a large role in government) and established many individual rights and freedoms. The Great Law of Peace was said to be an influence on Benjamin Franklin as well as Thomas Jefferson when writing the American Constitution.

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