Native Tribes and Their Lasting Influence on American Identity
This paper examines the foundational contributions of Native American tribes to the United States, arguing that American identity and governance would not exist in their current forms without Native influence. The paper covers early colonial survival assistance, the role of Native American values in shaping the Founding Fathers' ideas about liberty and democratic governance, and the Iroquois League's reported influence on Benjamin Franklin's vision of a federal republic. It also briefly addresses the historical injustices suffered by Native peoples, including the Indian Removal Act of 1830, while affirming that Native cultures remain a living presence in American identity.
- Introduction: Native American Contributions to American Civilization: Native aid enabled early colonial survival and settlement
- The Iroquois League and the Foundations of American Democracy: Iroquois League influenced Franklin and U.S. Constitution
- Injustice, Resilience, and the Enduring Native American Legacy: Removal Act injustice and ongoing Native cultural influence
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper opens with a bold, well-supported thesis that positions Native Americans as active contributors to American civilization rather than passive historical subjects.
- It uses a specific, well-cited example — the Iroquois League's influence on Benjamin Franklin — to ground an abstract claim about democratic influence in concrete historical evidence.
- The conclusion balances acknowledgment of historical injustice with an affirmation of Native cultural resilience, giving the argument nuance without deflating its central claim.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper effectively deploys a single, strategically placed direct quotation from Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me to support a claim that might otherwise seem speculative. By introducing the quote with context ("Loewen reports that…") and letting the source speak directly, the writer demonstrates how a well-chosen citation can do significant argumentative work in a short essay.
Structure breakdown
The paper moves in three logical steps: (1) establishing Native Americans' practical role in early colonial survival; (2) escalating to their intellectual and political influence on American governance, anchored by the Iroquois example; and (3) closing with a brief but honest acknowledgment of historical wrongdoing alongside an affirmation of ongoing cultural legacy. This arc — contribution, influence, injustice-and-resilience — is a model for short argumentative essays on historical topics.
Introduction: Native American Contributions to American Civilization
It is reasonable to suggest that the United States would not exist in its current form without the contributions and influences of the millions of Native Americans who already lived here when the first colonists arrived. Not only did these early Native Americans teach the new European arrivals how to survive in the New World, but in some cases they even freely supported them for years while the colonists awaited assistance from Europe — all with no real expectation of being repaid in kind. Without this assistance, the settlement of the American continent might well have been delayed for several more decades.
In addition, and although many modern Americans may not realize it, the so-called "melting pot" that would characterize the American identity during much of the 19th and 20th centuries was the direct result of Native American tribal influences. Native American tribes were also responsible for shaping the Founding Fathers' views about liberty and pluralism in ways that directly contributed to the contents of the U.S. Constitution.
The Iroquois League and the Foundations of American Democracy
Some authorities suggest that the Iroquois Confederacy provided Benjamin Franklin with the notion of a democratic republic for the burgeoning American colonies. As Loewen reports, "Indeed, Native American ideas may be responsible for our democratic institutions. In the 1740s the Iroquois wearied of dealing with several often bickering English colonies and suggested the colonies form a union similar to the [Iroquois] League" (103). This observation points to a profound and frequently overlooked debt that American democratic governance owes to indigenous political organization.
The influence of Native American political thought on the framers of the Constitution reflects a broader pattern of cross-cultural exchange that shaped early American identity. Rather than developing in isolation, the ideals of liberty and pluralism that define the American republic emerged partly through sustained contact with, and observation of, Native governance structures. This legacy, though rarely acknowledged in mainstream historical narratives, is a significant thread in the fabric of American constitutional history.
Works Cited
Loewen, James W. Lies My Teacher Told Me. New York: The New Press, 1995.
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