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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.

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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. Why do you think the roots of the Tree of Peace spread in four directions?
  2. 2. Who chooses the chiefs under the Great Law?
  3. 3. Who carried the message of peace from nation to nation?
  4. 4. Why did the five nations agree to the Great Law of Peace?
2.The Onondaga Nation is called the keeper of the council fire. What does that mean?
  • A.The Onondaga start forest fires
  • B.The Onondaga never take part
  • C.The Grand Council meets on Onondaga land
3.The US Constitution also sets up a body of lawmakers from every state. What is it called?
  • A.The clan mothers
  • B.Congress
  • C.The Grand Council
4.Why might a rule say every nation must agree before the council acts?
  • A.So the council can act without talking
  • B.So smaller nations are not forced into decisions
  • C.So one nation decides for all
5.Which word means a union of nations that keep some of their own powers?
  • A.Colony
  • B.Kingdom
  • C.Confederacy
6.Why was the Great Law first remembered by speaking rather than in writing?
  • A.Paper was against the law
  • B.It is an oral tradition passed from speaker to speaker
  • C.It was written in Spanish

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

Answer key — The Great Law of Peace

Set 5. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. To show that other peoples were welcome to follow them to peace. 2. The clan mothers. 3. The Peacemaker, helped by Hiawatha. 4. They were often at war with one another, and the Great Law brought peace.
  2. 2.The Grand Council meets on Onondaga land
  3. 3.Congress
  4. 4.So smaller nations are not forced into decisions
  5. 5.Confederacy
  6. 6.It is an oral tradition passed from speaker to speaker

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