About the Snake Flag
In 1751 Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette carried a bitter article protesting the British practice of sending convicts to America. The author suggested that the colonists return the favor by shipping "a cargo of rattlesnakes, which could be distributed in St. James Park, Spring Garden, and other places of pleasure, and particularly in the nobleman's gardens."
Three years later on May 9, 1754 the famous political cartoon Join, or Die created by Benjamin Franklin was first published in his Pennsylvania Gazette. The original publication by the Gazette is the earliest known pictorial representation of colonial union produced by a British colonist in America.
It shows a snake severed into eighths, with each segment labeled with the initial of a British American Colony or region. New England was represented as one colony, rather than the four colonies it was at that time. Delaware and Georgia were omitted completely. They had plenty given to them by King George III so they had no interest in even questioning English rule thus, it has 8 segments of snake rather than the traditional 13.
The cartoon appeared along with Franklin's editorial about the "disunited state" of the colonies, and helped make his point about the importance of colonial unity. During that era, there was a superstition that a snake which had been cut into pieces would come back to life if the pieces were put together before sunset.
First, it occurred to him that "the Rattle-Snake is found in no other quarter of the world besides America." The rattlesnake also has sharp eyes, and "may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance." Furthermore, "She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage... She never wounds 'till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her."
"I confess I was wholly at a loss what to make of the rattles, 'till I went back and counted them and found them just thirteen, exactly the number of the Colonies united in America; and I recollected too that this was the only part of the Snake which increased in numbers”
'Tis curious and amazing to observe how distinct and independent of each other the rattles of this animal are, and yet how firmly they are united together, so as never to be separated but by breaking them to pieces. One of those rattles singly, is incapable of producing sound, but the ringing of thirteen together, is sufficient to alarm the boldest man living."
In 1765 the snake was resurrected when the common enemy was the Stamp Act. The British decided that they needed more control over the colonies, and more importantly, they needed more money from the colonies. The Crown was loaded with debt from the French and Indian War. In the following months and years, as we know, the Sons of Liberty became increasingly resentful of English interference. And as the tide of American public opinion moved closer and closer to rebellion, Franklin's disjointed snake continued to be used as symbol of American unity, and American independence.
The resurrected snake is now once again a symbol of unification for the 912 movement in the battle to return to a Constitutional government based on Principles and Values.
For more information about the Gadsden Flag and
subseqent flags at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
