The Iroquois Confederacy, formed sometime before European contact, bound five (later six) Haudenosaunee nations under the Great Law of Peace. Decisions required consensus among the council, individual nations retained internal autonomy, and matters affecting all nations were addressed jointly. Several scholars have noted structural similarities between the Confederacy's arrangements and later debates among framers of the U.S. Constitution, who were aware of the Confederacy through diplomatic and trade relations.
Which inference is most strongly supported by the passage?
- A
The Iroquois Confederacy lacked any formal mechanism for collective decision-making
- B
The U.S. Constitution was a direct copy of the Great Law of Peace
- C
European colonists ignored all aspects of indigenous governance
- Dcheck_circle
Indigenous political institutions in North America offered models of federated governance prior to U.S. independence
Explanation
A pre-contact federation with consensus, autonomy, and joint matters supports B. A overstates "direct copy"; C contradicts the council; D contradicts diplomatic awareness.