Haudenosaunee Confederacy · before 1600-1722

The Haudenosaunee: the Great Law of Peace

Before Europeans arrived, five nations south of Lake Ontario agreed to stop fighting and govern together under the Great Law of Peace. Students explore how the Haudenosaunee Confederacy worked, the power of clan mothers, and its place in American history.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, AD 1492 to AD 1715
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

Before Europeans arrived, five nations south of Lake Ontario agreed to stop fighting and govern together under the Great Law of Peace. Students explore how the Haudenosaunee Confederacy worked, the power of clan mothers, and its place in American history.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Name the five original nations of the Haudenosaunee and locate them on the map.
  • Explain how the Grand Council and the clan mothers shared power.
  • Discuss why historians disagree about when the confederacy was founded and how much it influenced others.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1492

Five nations

Open the map in 1492 over the south of Lake Ontario. Find the label Ho-de-no-sau-nee-ga (Haudenosaunee) and the names of its nations in their own languages, such as Onundagaonoga (Onondaga). How many of the five can you find?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1492

The central fire

Zoom in on Onondaga Lake. The Grand Council of the confederacy met in Onondaga territory, in the middle of the five nations. Why would the middle be a good place for the council fire?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1715

Six nations

Jump to 1715 and find the Iroquois label, the French name for the Haudenosaunee. Around 1722 the Tuscarora, who had moved north from today's North Carolina, joined as the sixth nation. Trace their route north.

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Haudenosaunee means "People of the Longhouse". Why is a longhouse a good symbol for a union of five nations?
  2. The Great Law says weapons were buried under the Tree of Peace. What does this symbol ask of people?
  3. Clan mothers chose the chiefs and could remove them. How is that different from how many kings came to power?
  4. Historians date the founding anywhere from the 1100s to the 1500s. Why is it hard to date an event kept in oral tradition?
  5. In 1988 the US Congress acknowledged the confederacy's influence on the US Constitution, but historians still debate how strong it was. Why might this matter?
4

Game round

10 min

Play one round of Rule History as Moctezuma II, the ruler from the Americas in the game. Afterwards, compare: Moctezuma ruled as emperor, while the Haudenosaunee Grand Council of 50 chiefs decided together. Which system makes better decisions, and which makes faster ones?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.