America 250 Moments
U.S. Constitution
6/15/2026 | 1mVideo has Closed Captions
What other governments inspired the U.S. Constitution?
What other governments inspired the U.S. Constitution?
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
America 250 Moments is a local public television program presented by APT
America 250 Moments
U.S. Constitution
6/15/2026 | 1mVideo has Closed Captions
What other governments inspired the U.S. Constitution?
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship(lively music) [Narrator] What other governments inspired the US Constitution?
The Democratic ideas within the US Constitution were not inspired by Europe, so where did they come from?
Long before Europeans discovered America, tribal nations had been governing themselves for centuries.
The founders were familiar with the Democratic policies of the tribal nations they negotiated treaties with.
Like the six Tribe Iroquois Confederacy in upstate New York.
The ideas of veto power, personal freedoms, and the value of debate when creating laws mirror the Iroquois practices.
The Iroquois also may have introduced the founders to the concept of federalism, which today is why our federal government resides over our state governments, along with letters and other evidence, some scholars believe these ideas help the founders form the US Constitution.
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America 250 Moments is a local public television program presented by APT