Dozens of newspapers from Massachusetts to South Carolina ran Franklin's sketch or some variation of it. The snake illustration was reprinted throughout the colonies. It played off a common superstition of the time: a snake that had been cut into pieces could come back to life if you joined the sections together before sunset. It was a plea for unity in defending the colonies during the French and Indian War. This had nothing to do with independence from Britain.
Newspaper Serial and Government Publications Division,
[Benjamin Franklin's woodcut from May 9, 1754. And it's intertwined with one of American history's most interesting personalities, Ben Franklin. There's also an interesting history behind this flag. The meaning of "Don't Tread on Me" is unmistakable. The meaning of Old Glory can get mixed up with the rights and wrongs of the perpetually new-and-improved government. With all due respect to the stars and stripes, I prefer the yellow Gadsden flag with the coiled rattlesnake and the defiant Don't Tread on Me motto. When it comes to symbolizing freedom and the spirit of '76, I do think there's a better American flag. It's a symbol of shared American values - especially our highest common value: freedom. But the flag isn't just a symbol of the American government. politicians feel they should be involved in the daily lives of their subjects, I mean, citizens. I do have my complaints about the American government, especially about how intimately the Washington D.C. The Fourth of July never fails to reinspire my patriotism and sense of community with my fellow Americans, even when those fellow Americans are a mob of drunken cretins and teenagers trying to get out of downtown Chicago at 11pm.