The Iroquois Confederacy: Democracy Before Democracy Before the United States declared independence, a sophisticated governance system flourished in North America’s forests. Known as the Iroquois Confederacy, or the Haudenosaunee, this alliance of six nations—the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and later the Tuscarora—crafted a model of unity and democracy that influenced the foundations of American …
