Tribal Councils: Benjamin Franklin's Framework for Democracy
Discover How the World Came to Our DoorAfter the Revolutionary War, the newly independent United States of America was in need of a new sustainable form of government. European nations were ruled by monarchies and offered no functioning model for a democracy. However, Benjamin Franklin was impressed with tribal councils, which had endured for centuries within North America's Indian nations. The Chickasaws were a prominent example among the Southeastern tribes of a successful, sovereign nation that met in Council Houses, where they listened, spoke their minds, voted and remained united as a people. The Chickasaws' form of government offered proof that democracy worked and inspired Benjamin Franklin to advocate for a representative democracy and other founding fathers followed, persuading the remaining state delegates to form a self-ruling union and sign America's Constitution.
EPISODES
The Battle of Fallen Timbers
S1 • E2
George Colbert - War of 1812
S3 • E4
Original Homeland in Alabama
S4 • E2
Payamataha's Pursuit of Peace
S4 • E3
One Tribe One Mission
"Our mission to enhance the overall quality of life of the Chickasaw people will continue to serve as our guidepost as we work together to build an even brighter future"
Bill Anoatubby, Governor
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