Because Native American societies are held by United States courts to possess rights of self-government where these rights have not been explicitly withdrawn, the constitutions of 280 Native American governments in the United States (exclusive of 219 in Alaska) were examined as they existed in September 1981 to determine the extent and character…

Reviews Iroquois influences on historical processes leading to the U.S. Constitution and on its philosophical intent and content. Argues that the Founding Fathers drew parallels between native confederacies and ancestral European tribes, and eventually rejected confederated government because the more unified Romans conquered the tribes. Contains…

Drawing on the historical record and primary sources, this book portrays how Native American political confederacies of the colonial era operated and how their organization and underlying principles influenced the founding fathers of U.S. political institutions. A complementary theme of this book is the intense debate about Native American…

Presents evidence to support the opinion that the Iroquois and other Native American confederacies influenced the evolution of American government and the U.S. Constitution. Cites experiences and writings of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Madison, and John Adams. Responds to specific scholarly criticisms. Contains approximately 64 references.…

A memory told and retold among Haudenosaunee traditional (Iroquois or Six Nations people, including the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora) holds that in the formative days of the American republic, statesmen from the still powerful Indian Confederacy informed prominent colonists and some founding fathers on Indian concepts of…

In 1877, Standing Bear and his people, the Ponca (Indians), were forcibly removed from their land in northern Nebraska and sent to Indian Territory. Since no provision for food or shelter had been made for them, a number of the tribe, including Standing Bear's son, did not survive the harsh winter. In defiance of the relocation order, Standing…

The phrase "excluding Indians not taxed" appears in both Article I and the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution. This essay examines the phrases "excluding Indians not taxed" and "subject to the jurisdiction" of sections 1 and 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment as they apply to Indians. This essay, through analysis…

This lesson offers historical background on federal Indian policy from 1870 to 1900, focusing on the Dawes Act of 1887 (with two resources). It provides four primary source documents, including maps of Indian Territory (Oklahoma) and Will Roger's application for enrollment in the Five Civilized Tribes. The lesson relates to the powers granted to…

This pamphlet on revolutionary Georgia is one of a series designed for use in the state's public schools. The objective is to present a clear, concise picture of Georgia's history during the American Revolution. The first and major part of the text presents an historical summary. It describes how Georgia was an early and strong supporter of the…