Author: @alimcforever
Introduction
The United States Constitution is 237 years old. But the document it draws from, according to this account, predates it by centuries.
“The United States Constitution is 237 years old. But the document it plagiarizes is over 800 years old.”
The Great Law of Peace is described as the founding constitution of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy — a political system that unified multiple Indigenous nations under a shared legal framework.
The Founding of the Confederacy
The Haudenosaunee Confederacy traces its origins to August 22, 1142, in what is now upstate New York.
“The Great Law of Peace united five Indigenous nations who did not speak the same language under a shared constitutional law.”
The Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca nations had been engaged in prolonged cycles of conflict before a figure known as the Great Peacemaker introduced a new idea:
“Replace blood feuds with a law.”
A symbolic act marked the formation of the Confederacy.
“They uprooted a white pine tree. They threw their weapons into the hole beneath and replanted the tree.”
This became known as the Tree of Great Peace.
Structure and Governance
The Great Law of Peace consists of 117 articles covering governance, leadership selection, decision-making, and long-term planning.
“It includes procedures for selecting leaders, for removing them, for making collective decisions, for managing collective land, and for planning for the future.”
It also incorporates principles of participation and authority.
“It gives women governance authority. And it gives citizens the right to convene their own councils.”
Contact with Early American Leaders
The relationship between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and early American political figures is described as documented through historical records.
“Benjamin Franklin printed all of the treaty minutes and produced the largest English-language archive on the Haudenosaunee political system at the time.”
Franklin is quoted reflecting on the effectiveness of the Indigenous confederation system.
“It would be a very strange thing if six nations of ignorant savages should be capable of forming a scheme for such a union… and yet that a like union should be impractical for ten or dozen English colonies.”
Federal Structure and Inclusion
Articles within the Great Law outline a federated model.
“All the affairs of the five nations shall be transacted at this place.”
“If any man or nation outside the five nations shall obey the laws of great peace, they shall be welcomed to take shelter beneath the tree.”
Each nation retains autonomy while participating in shared governance.
Decision-Making Process
The system operates through a multi-stage deliberative structure.
“The first question shall be passed upon by the Mohawk and Seneca lords… then discussed by the Oneida and Cayuga… then referred to the Onondaga.”
A key principle is consensus.
“A decision that doesn't hold everyone is not a decision. Having a majority is not enough.”
This concept, referred to as “one mind,” requires full agreement before action.
Comparison to Modern Political Systems
The transcript contrasts this consensus model with modern legislative systems.
“The U.S. system is adversarial by design… to pass a law, you need 51.”
This is described as fundamentally different from consensus-based governance.
“One comes in search of agreement. The other comes as a competition for control.”
Political Culture and Incentives
The discussion highlights differences in how political systems manage disagreement and influence.
“Under the Great Law, there is nothing to buy, because if somebody objects, you have to address their objection.”
Modern systems are described as incorporating transactional elements.
“In 2024, the U.S. Congress passed 8,222 earmarks… costing taxpayers $22.7 billion.”
Conclusion
The Great Law of Peace is presented as a distinct model of governance based on consensus, inclusion, and long-term stability.
“You are not trying to win anything. You are trying to find a position that everyone can get behind.”
The transcript concludes by indicating further discussion of specific articles and governance roles in subsequent material.