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The Haudenosaunee Confederacy — the Iroquois League — bound five nations togethe
1142 Event

August 31

Iroquois Confederacy Founded: The Great Law of Peace

The Haudenosaunee Confederacy — the Iroquois League — bound five nations together under a constitution called the Great Law of Peace. The exact date is disputed, but the tradition places its founding around the 12th century. The Great Law governed by consensus, not force. It had a clan mother system that could remove leaders who failed the people. Benjamin Franklin studied it. Some historians argue parts of the U.S. Constitution borrowed from it. The debate hasn't been settled.

August 31, 1142

884 years ago

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