Topic: Iroquois Confederacy

A donor's note discusses the influence of the Five-Nation Confederacy on the American Founders, specifically Benjamin Franklin. The theory suggests that the U.S. government structure borrowed heavily from indigenous forms of consensus-based governance. The hosts critique the efficiency of consensus-based systems, citing modern Swedish and Japanese corporate cultures as examples of where the model can become cumbersome.

Michelle Obama delivered a speech to Native American youth, claiming the Iroquois Confederacy served as a model for the U.S. government. She also stated that modern conservation and climate change policies are finally embracing the "wisdom of your ancestors." The hosts question the historical accuracy of these claims.