In 1751, Franklin made the satirical suggestion that the colonies might repay the Crown for shipping convicts to America by distributing rattlesnakes around England, “ particularly in the Gardens of the Prime Ministers, the Lords of Trade and Members of Parliament for to them we are most particularly obliged. One article from 2016 says, “The snake, it turns out, was something of a Colonial-era meme, evidently originated by Benjamin Franklin. As you can see, the rattlesnake, like the bald eagle and the lone pine tree, features heavily in our history and documentation.Ĭurrent day versions of the Gadsden flag can be traced to the Tea Party movement, another maligned movement based in a misrepresented historical ideal. In 1778 the United States Congress began using the War Office Seal, which was replaced in 1947 for the official document used by the Department of Army Emblem, pictured here.
As a firm believer in the natural rights of man*, I choose to see the benefit of separating from the state of England. This was the year before the declaration of independence was signed. Christopher Gadsden designed the Gadsden flag in 1775, this is what we think of today when we hear the phrase, “ Don’t tread on me”. Fast forward 21 years and we were on the cusp of a civil war with England.Ĭontrary to what has been taught for decades in the United States, our war with England was, in fact, a rebellion. In 1754 he published the woodcut of a snake cut into 8 sections with the message, “ JOIN or DIE”. Benjamin Franklin made many references to rattlesnakes in his commentaries, published from 1751 onward. Rattlesnakes, in this case, the eastern diamondback and the timber rattlesnake, were both abundant in North America, and something not found in Great Britain.
To find out what the Don’t Tread on Me Flags Meaning today we need first take a look at where it came from, and why. What Does Don’t Tread on Me Mean Today? Of the many slogans that have been socially adopted by some as a banner, and others as the new evil to kill, the line, “ Don’t tread on me” is easily among the top ten over the past few years. Of the many slogans that have been socially adopted by some as a banner, and others as the new evil to kill, the line, “Don’t tread on me”…