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Today, Native Americans only make up about one percent of the United States population, due to historical bouts of disease, war, bad treaties, and of course, millions of immigrants that have come to North America. But the isolated population that once lived in modern-day United States, uninfluenced by the Old World's culture, adapted to their physical environment and invented their own unique ways of life, and spread this culture to others. Though the United States has had a rocky relationship with native populations, the people of the United States have always found value in native culture. So, in this video, I'm going to show you a few ways that Native American culture has had a lasting impact on the United States.
First, I'll start with government. We typically only give credit to the Greeks and the Romans for our form of government, but some historians claim the Constitution was largely based on the Iroquois form of government. The Iroquois were made up of five different Indian nations, and later six, that were united under the Iroquois Confederacy. This was created to prevent war, and while a definite date isn't known, it is thought the Confederacy was formed between the 15th and 17th centuries, but possibly as far back as the 12th century. This was years before the United States Constitution was created. Each nation had a large degree of autonomy, and when the nations had disagreements that needed to be solved together, the Council of the Confederacy would come together to solve them. The Iroquois Constitution, called the Great Law of Peace, had many concepts the United States Constitution would later adopt, though historians debate on how influential these concepts actually were. These concepts include the two branches of the legislative government, how to remove leaders from power, restricting members from holding multiple positions in government, and stating who has the power to declare war. One leader in the Iroquois Confederacy had his speech printed by Benjamin Franklin. One line of his speech states, "We are a powerful confederacy, and by you're observing the same methods our wise forefathers have taken, you will require fresh strength and power." And this is exactly what would happen. Each state would have a level of autonomy, though not to the point where it is considered its own country. Some historians even argue that the Great Seal of the United States was largely influenced by the Iroquois, as the cluster of arrows to them was seen as a symbol of unity. These clusters of arrows can also be seen in some Iroquois symbols. The eagle on the United States Seal could have also been taken from the Iroquois. The eagle is seen as a powerful animal to the Iroquois and is placed atop the Iroquois symbol, the Tree of Peace.
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Another important symbol is Sacagawea. To many, she represents women's worth, empowerment, and rights. Sacagawea was a huge reason for the Lewis and Clark Expedition's success. She was a guide and a translator for the expedition, all while being a sixteen-year-old mother with her baby on her back. Sacagawea is also credited with being the first woman in U.S. history to have an equal vote with men. This took place when voting on where the expedition would spend its winter on the West Coast. Because of this, she is also seen as a symbol for women's suffrage. Though controversial, you also see Indians used as mascots for sports teams, such as the Florida State Seminoles, the Atlanta Braves, and the Cleveland Indians. Defenders of the usage say they honor positive Native American traits, such as fighting spirit, strength, bravery, and dedication. While others say these traits are based on stereotypes of natives being savages, and even if the intentions are good, the symbols are still harmful.
Arguably, the native's biggest contribution to the world is the crops they domesticated and grew. This list is relatively large, but just to name a few: sunflowers, squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, peanuts, cranberries, tomatoes. We know that pizza is an iconic Italian food, but it's relatively new. It wasn't created until the late 19th century, and it would have never happened without the Native Americans' domestication of the tomato. An Irish potato, not from Ireland, it was also a crop domesticated by the natives. The natives also introduced jerky to the Europeans. While they don't get credit for its invention, several other ancient civilizations do. The colonists weren't familiar with the practice; they quickly adopted so they could store meat for longer without it rotting. Today, what was originally Native American crops accounts for 60% of the world's foods.
Of law, there are also thousands of place names using native languages across the United States. Just to name a few: the Missouri, Mississippi, and Potomac rivers; the cities of Miami, Tallahassee, Waco, Chicago. There are 25 states that are Native American names, well, 24. Idaho isn't really a native word; the guy who named Idaho later admitted that he made the word up, but by then it was too late because the name was already being used. The natives have also made significant contributions to the English language. Chipmunk, hurricane, opossum, coyote, BBQ are all words from native languages. Though typically associated with the Navajo, nearly a dozen different Native American tribes played an important role in the World Wars by transmitting secret messages over radio. Because their languages were so different than those of other nations of the European, African, and Pacific theaters, they were unable to be decrypted.
Some inventions of the natives include kayaks, parkas, and the natives are credited with inventing the modern chewing gum. They would chew resin made from sap of spruce trees. The England settlers adopted the practice first, and the first commercial chewing gum was sold in 1848. It's debated on who actually gets credit for this invention, but Indians in the Great Plains were known to use animal bladders as like modern-day whoopee cushions to play practical jokes on each other.
Like all other humans, Native Americans love games. Originally known as stickball, lacrosse was invented by woodland natives, which makes it the oldest currently played game in North America. The natives' version was a little bit different, though. Each team would have as many as a thousand players at once. The playing field would have no boundaries with goals as far as six miles apart, and the games would last from sun up to sun down for two or three days straight. Passing or avoiding your opponent was seen as cowardly. In the 1830s, some Canadians noticed Mohawk Indians playing the game and they wanted to play the game themselves. The Lacrosse Club in Montreal was formed soon after, and they created official rules requiring less players and an official field playing size. This new version of lacrosse then spread across North America from there.
This is by no means a complete list of Native American contributions to modern-day United States, but if you found value in this video, please like and subscribe. Thank you for [Applause] watching. [Applause]