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The Great Law of Peace is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on the purposes of the Haudenosaunee Great Law, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Civ.3.3-5. It prints 6 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 17 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

The Great Law of Peace

D2.Civ.3.3-5

NameDate

Read the text and answer the questions. Then choose the best answers.

1.Look at the source, then answer the questions.

The Great Law of Peace

An information text written for this worksheet. The Great Law is an oral tradition, passed down by speaking, so this text retells some of its main ideas rather than quoting it. The Haudenosaunee, also called the Iroquois, are nations whose homelands are in what is now New York State and nearby lands. Haudenosaunee tradition tells that long ago their five nations were often at war with one another. A man known as the Peacemaker, helped by a leader named Hiawatha, carried a message of peace from nation to nation. The nations agreed to the Great Law of Peace. It set up a Grand Council, where chiefs from every nation meet to decide matters they share. Under the Great Law, decisions are talked over until the chiefs agree. Clan mothers choose the chiefs and can remove a chief who does not serve the people well. The symbol of the Great Law is a white pine, the Tree of Peace. Its roots spread in four directions so that other peoples could follow them to peace. The Haudenosaunee still follow the Great Law today.

  1. 1. What was the purpose of the Grand Council?
  2. 2. Why can clan mothers remove a chief?
  3. 3. Who carried the message of peace from nation to nation?
  4. 4. How is deciding by agreement different from deciding by a majority vote?
2.The Onondaga Nation is called the keeper of the council fire. What does that mean?
  • A.The Onondaga never take part
  • B.The Grand Council meets on Onondaga land
  • C.The Onondaga start forest fires
3.Why was the Great Law first remembered by speaking rather than in writing?
  • A.Paper was against the law
  • B.It was written in Spanish
  • C.It is an oral tradition passed from speaker to speaker
4.Under the Great Law, each nation still runs its own affairs at home. Why might that be?
  • A.So one nation rules the rest
  • B.So each nation keeps its own ways while sharing big decisions
  • C.So the nations never speak to each other
5.Which word means a union of nations that keep some of their own powers?
  • A.Colony
  • B.Kingdom
  • C.Confederacy
6.A rule that makes leaders talk until everyone agrees is meant to
  • A.Give one chief all the power
  • B.Make sure no nation is left out of a decision
  • C.Make decisions happen faster

LessonPrint · D2.Civ.3.3-5 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — The Great Law of Peace

Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. For chiefs from every nation to meet and decide matters they share. 2. So that a chief who does not serve the people well does not stay a chief. 3. The Peacemaker, helped by Hiawatha. 4. Every chief must agree, so no nation is simply outvoted.
  2. 2.The Grand Council meets on Onondaga land
  3. 3.It is an oral tradition passed from speaker to speaker
  4. 4.So each nation keeps its own ways while sharing big decisions
  5. 5.Confederacy
  6. 6.Make sure no nation is left out of a decision

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Civ.3.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.