7-11-05 Did the Founding Fathers Really Get Many of Their Ideas of Liberty from the Iroquois? By Jack Rakove Mr. Rakove is Coe Professor of History and American Studies, Professor of Political Science, at Stanford University. Editor's Note: On Monday July 4th the New York Times published an op ed by journalist James Mann that made broad claims about the influence of the Iroquois on American constitutional history. Specifically, he argued that the Founding Fathers were deeply influenced by Indian ideas of liberty and that our very form of government was shaped in decisive ways by Indian influences at the...