Have you ever heard of the Iroquios Confederacy? Did you know that the US Consiitution was inspired by a treaty among tribes of Native Americans that, for the most part, kept the peace among them for several hundred years before the white man even arrived in North America? I never learned that in school. You would think if true relevance is the test, that these indigenous Americans would get some kind of credit for showing the way on democracy.
What’s really remarkable about the Iroquois Confederacy was the powerful role women had to choosing the leaders they followed.
I didn’t learn about the Binding Laws of the Great Iroquois Confederacy until, as an adult, I read Howard Zinn’s marvelous alternate to the bland brand of history taught in schools. Zinn’s book was titled, A People’s History of the United States.
Here is a link to a very interesting summery of the Iroquois Confederacy…
http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Ha-La/Iroquois-Confederacy.html