The Iroquois and Algonquians before Contact
Lecture no. 24 from the course: Ancient Civilizations of North America
Taught by Professor Edwin Barnhart | 37 min | Categories: History
At the time of European contact, two main groups existed in the northeast—the hunter-gatherer Algonquian and the agrarian Iroquois. Delve into how the Iroquois created the first North American democracy as a solution to their increasing internal conflicts. Today, we know much of the U.S. Constitution is modeled on the Iroquois’ “Great League of Peace” and its 117 articles of confederation, as formally acknowledged by the U.S. in 1988.