How did the Iroquois League influence the United States government?
Benjamin Franklin, one of the drafters of the United States Constitution, admired the Iroquois form of government and borrowed some of its ideas for America including: a government with a national and local systems; a “checks and balance” system to keep one part of the government from having too much power; a democratic government in which the leaders were responsible to the people (unlike the kings and queens of Europe at the time); and a constitution with the freedom of speech and religion. Did you know women in the Iroquois League had many more rights than colonial women? Iroquois women shared responsibility for running their government centuries earlier, while American women did not gain these rights until the twentieth century. Top of Page b. What is the Great Law of Peace? The Iroquois Constitution. It is similar to the United States Constitution in that it establishes the form of government and sets down rules about the freedoms and duties of the people and their leaders. It is
