Christopher Columbus was Scottish

[mexpiper]

WOW,... what a conversation...
what is the definition of "Discovered" a.To be the first, or the first of one's group or kind, to find, learn of, or observe.

Since I grew up in Seneca (Iroquois) territory and had many friends who are Haudenosaunee. We learned about the Confederation, in 7th grade as NY history was the whole year.

I did some basic research.... some of it is very controversial... but than again we have to remember that the Victors write the History books! (;} )

The Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee, also known as the League of Peace and Power) is a group of First Nations/Native Americans. Based in what is now upstate New York at the time of the arrival of the Europeans, they now occupy territory in Ontario, Quebec and New York.
History
The spiritual union of the nations began before European contact, replete with a Constitution recorded with special beads called wampum that served the same purpose as money in other cultures. Most Western anthropologists speculate that this Constitution was created sometime between the middle 1400s and early 1600s, but other scholars who account for Iroquois oral tradition argue that the event took place as early as 1100, with many arguing for August 31, 1142 based on a coinciding solar eclipse. Some Westerners have also suggested that this Constitution was written with European help, although most dismiss this notion as blatant racism.
The two prophets, Hiawatha and "The Great Peacemaker", brought a message of peace to related squabbling tribes.
……Haudenosaunee means "People Building a Long House." The term is said to have been introduced by The Great Peacemaker at the time of the formation of the Confederacy. It implies that the Nations of the confederacy should live together as families in the same longhouse.
The Iroquois nations' political union and democratic government has been credited as one of the influences on the United States Constitution.
http://www.crystalinks.com/iroquois.html

""In 2004 the U.S. Government acknowledged the influence of the Iroquois Constitution on the U.S. Framers.[14] The Smithsonian Institution also noted the similarities between the two documents, as well as the differences. One significant difference noted was the inclusion of women in the Iroquois Constitution, one group among many that the framers of the U.S. Constitution did not include.""

""Although their influence is hotly debated, it is a historical fact that several founding fathers had direct contact with the Iroquois, and prominent figures such as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were closely involved with the Iroquois, their stronger and larger native neighbor. Whether this was purely politics for protection or true admiration, perhaps can never be fully determined. ""

Check out the following references:
"The Six Nations: Oldest Living Participatory Democracy on Earth". Ratical.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-27.
 ^ Armstrong, Virginia Irving [1971]. I Have Spoken: American History Through the Voices of the Indians. Pocket Books, 14. SBN 671-78555-9.*
 ^ "Did the Founding Fathers Really Get Many of Their Ideas of Liberty from the Iroquois?". George Mason University. Retrieved on 2007-10-27.
 ^ Iroquois Confederacy and the Influence Thesis
 ^ "Iroquois Constitution Influenced That of U.S., Historians Say". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved on 2007-10-27."


I also have to check out more on Ben Franklin, as he had published many says and speeches of the Iroquois leader James Bryant and others.

[Bryan]

Some Westerners have also suggested that this Constitution was written with European help, although most dismiss this notion as blatant racism.

I'm sure you are quoting this, and the following comment is more of a general statement and is in no way directed at you, but I fail to see how the possibility, however remotely, of European help/influence could be considered "blatant racism."

[Dixiecat]

I also have to check out more on Ben Franklin, as he had published many says and speeches of the Iroquois leader James Bryant and others.

I think you actually mean Joseph Brant, not James Bryant. Joseph Brant was Mohawk, and a noted leader of the Iroquois Nation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Brant

[Colonel MacNeal]

Does the Book of Mormon say anything about Scots visiting North America?