Life Liberty and the Snake

By: Eddie Hill Click author's name for more of his/her articles

The Gadsden Flag Carries a Total Novel Meaning Nowadays.
The American Flag unmistakably epitomizes the symbol of sovereignty, though a few feel their freedom, their freedom is being challenged today. Although, not a replacement for the US Flag… but just a further explicative, some American patriots are choosing to fly the Gadsden Flag. It’s a yellow flag with a twisting rattlesnake and the bold “Don't Tread on Me” motto.
The Gadsden, named after Colonel Christopher Gadsden of South Carolina came about in 1776. It’s inspiration represented a warning from the colonists to the British. The record of the Gadsden flag is entwined with one of American history's most exhilarating personalities, Ben Franklin.

Benjamin Franklin is famous, or infamous, for his sense of hilarity. In 1751, he wrote an article in his Pennsylvania Gazette telling that, as a way to offer thanks to the Brits for their policy of sending convicted felons to America, American colonists should send rattlesnakes to England. What a guy! In 1754, Franklin drew and published the first known political cartoon in an American newspaper. It was the depiction of a snake cut into eight sections. Each sector of the snake represented the eight individual colonies and the curves of the snake suggested the coastline of America. New England was the head of the snake, South Carolina was at the tail. Printed under the snake were the unquestionably bold words "Join, or Die." This had nothing to do with liberty from Britain. It was a plea for unity in defending the colonies during the French and Indian War. Amusingly enough, the fallacy of the time was a snake that had been cut into pieces may possibly come back to life if you united the sections together prior to dusk. The snake image was reprinted all over the colonies. Dozens of journalists from Massachusetts to South Carolina ran Franklin's drawing or some version of it. For instance, the Boston Gazette re-drew the snake with the words "Unite and Conquer" coming out of its mouth. Franklin's snake slithered its way into American culture as an early symbol of sovereignty.

In 1765, The British sought after more money from the colonies. The snake image was paramount when Americans were uniting against the Stamp Act. Franklin's snake continued to be used as a symbol of American unison and American freedom. For example, in 1774, Paul Revere added it to the masthead of The Massachusetts Spy and showed the snake fighting a British dragon.

By 1775, the snake symbol was appearing all over the colonies, on banners and flags, on uniform buttons, even on paper money. The snake symbol changed over the past few years. It was usually shown as an American timber rattlesnake. Historically, we don't know for sure where, when, or by whom the twisting rattlesnake was initially used with the warning "Don't Tread on Me". Though, in 1775 there was an interesting article printed in the Pennsylvania Journal by "An American Guesser" that spoke of the “Don’t Tread on Me Motto”.

Here’s the commentary in part:

"I observed on one of the drums belonging to the marines now raising, there was painted a Rattle-Snake, with this modest motto under it, 'Don't tread on me.' As I know it is the custom to have some device on the arms of every country, I supposed this may have been intended for the arms of America." This anonymous writer, having "nothing to do with public affairs" and "in order to divert an idle hour," speculated on why a snake might be chosen as a symbol for America. 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."

Most scholars agree that this "American Guesser" was Benjamin Franklin.
How does all this connect to today? Well, just as Franklin alluded to, the rattlesnake never begins the attack but will not back down when provoked. As you drive about and see more and more Gadsden flags hoisted atop flag poles and being worn on shirts and stickers on cars, realize that scores of Americans feel their back is against the wall and the only thing left to do is fight for our founding liberties. This is not a physical battle as it was in the 1700’s but a political war opposed to higher taxes, independence limitations and forced superfluous laws and policies. This figurative snake will unquestionably “alarm the boldest man living”.