Their Decision To The Mohawk Lords example essay topic

Compare & Contrast: Iroquois Constitution & U.S. Constitution The Constitutions of both the Iroquois and the United States have similarities and differences between them. The Iroquois constitution came earlier in history than the U. S one did. Some of the same ideas that were in the Iroquois' constitution were carried over to some of the ideas that we use in our government today. In this paper I will compare and contrast these ideas as they relate with one another. Ideas like Vito Power, When a Leader Gets Sick, 3 Branches of Government, A Bicameral Legislature, and impeachment are portrayed in both of these constitutions. The power to veto something is defined as to refuse to admit.

In the Iroquois constitution they talk about how the procedure must be followed to these exact steps. Once the Mohawk and Seneca Lords have unanimously agreed upon a question, they shall report their decision to the Cayuga and Oneida Lords who shall deliberate upon the question and report a unanimous decision to the Mohawk Lords. The Mohawk Lords will then report the standing of the case to the Fire Keepers, who shall render a decision as they see fit in case of a disagreement by the two bodies, or confirm the decisions of the two bodies if they are identical. The Fire Keepers shall then report their decision to the Mohawk Lords who shall announce it to the open council.

This is very similar to the U.S. government process for making and vetoing laws and regulations. As it talks about going through the different lords that is like the House of Representatives, senate, and then the president, with the Fire Keepers being the President. The Fire Keepers had the power to veto any decision that the lower levels had made just as the president does in our government. In America's government if the president gets sick or ill where he / she cannot fulfill his / her responsibilities then their spouse takes over for them until they are able to return to office. In the Iroquois constitution it states in article 21 that certain physical defects in a Confederate Lord make him ineligible to sit in the Confederate Council. Such defects are infancy, idiocy, blindness, deafness, dumbness and impotency.

When a Confederate Lord is restricted by any of these conditions, a deputy shall be appointed by his sponsors to act for him, but in case of extreme necessity the restricted Lord may exercise his rights. The Iroquois would appoint a deputy if the Lord had specific defects. The Division of government for America is divided up into the Judicial, Executive, and Legislative Branches. In the Iroquois constitution it also splits up the Mohawk Council into three parties: the Tekarihoken, Ayonhwhathah and Shadekariwadeare the first party; Sharenhowaneh, Deyoenhegwenh and Oghrenghrehgowah are the second party, and Dehennakrineh, Aghstawenserenthah and Shoskoharowaneh are the third party. The Purpose of the third party is to monitor what the first and second parties are discussing to make sure they don't make any mistakes.

The way that there are 3 parties in the Iroquois government and the division of powers of the United States government is very similar. A bicameral legislature means that there are two different houses that everything has to go through. In the Iroquois system of government they have two sets of Confederate Lords: Mohawk and Seneca Lords; Oneida and Cayuga Lords. Any questions will first be passed through the Mohawk and Seneca Lords, and then it will be discussed by the Oneida and Cayuga Lords. When comparing this to the U.S. constitution we use a two house system similar to this which is known as the House of Representatives and the Senate. The impeachment process is a little different between the two different governments, but the basic idea is the same.

If a governmental official in America breaks a federal law, or is not have his people best interest he can be impeached. In the Iroquois government they say that if the leader does not have his people in mind, or disobeys the rules of the great law then they can be removed from their position. In closing the U.S. constitution had a lot of the same basic principles as the Iroquois constitution. So we can come to the conclusion that the founders of our constitution had looked and like the ideas of the Iroquois'. Especially with all the things that are in our government today like Vito Power, When a Leader Gets Sick, 3 Branches of Government, A Bicameral Legislature, and impeachment.