The Great Law of Peace Vs the Constitution
Introduction
The Great Law of Peace served as the constitution of the Iroquois Republic. The Republic was comprised of 5 Indian tribes, namely, Seneca, Mohawks, Oneidas, Cayugas and Onondagas (Minahan 20). Later on, the Republic was joined by another tribe, Tuscarora to become the League of 6 Nations. The purpose for establishing the Iroquois Republic was based on the need to foster peace among the Indian community as the groups had engaged in bloody feuds in the past decades. According to Minahan (23), the above Nations were subdivided into smaller tribes or families represented by animal symbols such as the beaver, eagle, bear, turkey, tortoise and wolf.
The Iroquois Republic existed way before the European colonialists. They admired the great political and social organization of the League and referred to it as the Romans of the New World (Levine-Rasky 16). The comparison to the Romans stemmed from some similarities in the two systems. Both societies held soldiers in high regard and often placed them above other citizens of the League. They were also very influential in League matters and their contribution was …show more content…
On the contrary, Bruce Johansen firmly believes in the great influential capacity of the Iroquois Republic through their Great Law of Peace on the American Constitution. The Great Law of Peace provided for ideal checks and balance system that ensured that all groups represented in the Council had a voice in the Council’s decision making process. In this case, if one of the Nations was not present for proceedings, they deferred weighty issues for discussion to another session until their presence is available for allowing the debate on the identified
Introduction
The Great Law of Peace served as the constitution of the Iroquois Republic. The Republic was comprised of 5 Indian tribes, namely, Seneca, Mohawks, Oneidas, Cayugas and Onondagas (Minahan 20). Later on, the Republic was joined by another tribe, Tuscarora to become the League of 6 Nations. The purpose for establishing the Iroquois Republic was based on the need to foster peace among the Indian community as the groups had engaged in bloody feuds in the past decades. According to Minahan (23), the above Nations were subdivided into smaller tribes or families represented by animal symbols such as the beaver, eagle, bear, turkey, tortoise and wolf.
The Iroquois Republic existed way before the European colonialists. They admired the great political and social organization of the League and referred to it as the Romans of the New World (Levine-Rasky 16). The comparison to the Romans stemmed from some similarities in the two systems. Both societies held soldiers in high regard and often placed them above other citizens of the League. They were also very influential in League matters and their contribution was …show more content…
On the contrary, Bruce Johansen firmly believes in the great influential capacity of the Iroquois Republic through their Great Law of Peace on the American Constitution. The Great Law of Peace provided for ideal checks and balance system that ensured that all groups represented in the Council had a voice in the Council’s decision making process. In this case, if one of the Nations was not present for proceedings, they deferred weighty issues for discussion to another session until their presence is available for allowing the debate on the identified