fbpx
Wikipedia

Gadsden flag

October 15, 2023

The Gadsden flag is a historical American flag with a yellow field depicting a timber rattlesnake[1][2] coiled and ready to strike. Beneath the rattlesnake are the words "DONT TREAD ON ME".[a] Some modern versions of the flag include an apostrophe.

Gadsden flag
UseBanner
ProportionVaries, generally 2:3
AdoptedDecember 20, 1775
DesignA yellow banner charged with a yellow coiled timber rattlesnake facing toward the hoist sitting upon a patch of green grass, with thirteen rattles for the thirteen colonies, the words "DONT TREAD ON ME" positioned below the snake in black
Designed byChristopher Gadsden

The flag is named for Christopher Gadsden, a South Carolina delegate to the Continental Congress and brigadier general in the Continental Army[4][5] who designed the flag in 1775 during the American Revolution.[6] He gave the flag to Commodore Esek Hopkins, and it was unfurled on the main mast of Hopkins's flagship USS Alfred on December 20, 1775.[5][7] Two days later, Congress made Hopkins commander-in-chief of the Continental Navy.[8] He adopted the Gadsden banner as his personal flag, flying it from the mainmast of the flagship while he was aboard.[5] The Continental Marines also flew the flag during the early part of the war.[6]

The rattlesnake was a symbol of the unity of the Thirteen Colonies at the start of the Revolutionary War, and it had a long history as a political symbol in America. Benjamin Franklin used it for his Join, or Die woodcut in 1754.[5][9] Gadsden intended his flag as a warning to Britain not to violate the liberties of its American subjects.[5]

The flag has been described as the "most popular symbol of the American Revolution."[5] Its design proclaims an assertive warning of vigilance and willingness to act in defense against coercion.[10] This has led it to be associated with the ideas of individualism and liberty.[11][12][13][14][15][16] It is often used in the United States as a symbol for right-libertarianism, classical liberalism, and small government; for distrust or defiance against authorities and government.[17][18][19]

Appearance and symbolism Edit

Variations in appearance Edit

Many variations of the Gadsden flag exist. The motto sometimes includes an apostrophe in the word "Don't" and sometimes not;[20]: 339  the typeface used for the motto is sometimes a serif typeface and other times sans-serif. The rattlesnake sometimes is shown as resting on a green ground; representations dating from 1885 and 1917 do not display anything below the rattlesnake. The rattlesnake usually faces to the left, and the early representations mentioned above face left. However, some versions of the flag show the snake facing to the right.

History of the rattlesnake symbol in America Edit

 
Benjamin Franklin's Join, or Die cartoon

The timber rattlesnake can be found in the area of the original Thirteen Colonies. Like the bald eagle, part of its significance is that it was unique to the Americas, serving as a means of showing a separate identity from the Old World. Its use as a symbol of the American colonies can be traced back to the publications of Benjamin Franklin. In 1751, he made the first reference to the rattlesnake in a satirical commentary published in his Pennsylvania Gazette. It had become the policy of Parliament to send some convicted criminals to the Americas (primarily the Province of Georgia), so Franklin suggested that Americans thank Parliament by sending rattlesnakes to Britain.[21]

In 1754, during the French and Indian War, Franklin published Join, or Die, a woodcut of a snake cut into eight sections. It represented the colonies, with New England joined as the head and South Carolina as the tail, following their order along the coast. This was the first political cartoon published in an American newspaper.[citation needed]

In 1774, Paul Revere added Franklin's iconic cartoon to the nameplate of Isaiah Thomas's paper, the Massachusetts Spy, depicted there as fighting a British griffin.[22]

In December 1775, Benjamin Franklin published an essay in the Pennsylvania Journal under the pseudonym "American Guesser" in which he suggested that the rattlesnake was a good symbol for the American spirit and its valuation for vigilance, assertiveness, individualism, unity, and liberty:[23]

[...] there was painted a Rattle-Snake, with this modest motto under it, "Don't tread on me." [...] she has no eye-lids. She may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance. She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders [...] The Rattle-Snake is solitary, and associates with her kind only when it is necessary for their preservation [...] '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. [...] The power of fascination attributed to her, by a generous construction, may be understood to mean, that those who consider the liberty and blessings which America affords, and once come over to her, never afterwards leave her, but spend their lives with her.

 
Flag of the Culpeper Minutemen

The rattlesnake symbol was first officially adopted by the Continental Congress in 1778 when it approved the design for the seal of the War Office.[citation needed] At the top center of the seal is a rattlesnake holding a banner that says, "This we'll defend". This design of the War Office seal was carried forward—with some minor modifications—into the subsequent designs as well as the Department of the Army's seal, emblem and flag.[citation needed] As such, some variation of a rattlesnake symbol has been in continuous official use by the US Army for over 243 years.

Other American flags that use a rattlesnake motif include The United Companies of the Train of Artillery of the Town of Providence, the First Navy Jack, and the Culpeper Minutemen flag, among others.

In the 21st century, the Gadsden Flag has been used by supporters of the Tea Party movement.

History Edit

 
Gadsden's flag in an 1885 schoolbook
 
Christopher Gadsden, designer of the flag, painted by Charles Fraser in 1819

George Washington established the Continental Navy in 1775 as Commander in Chief of the Continental Forces, before Esek Hopkins was named Commodore of the Navy. The first ships were used to intercept incoming transport ships carrying war supplies to the British in the colonies in order to supply the Continental Army, which was desperately undersupplied in the opening years of the American Revolutionary War.

Continental Colonel Christopher Gadsden represented South Carolina in the Congress, and he was one of seven members of the Marine Committee outfitting the first naval mission.[5][20]: 289  Paul Aron described Gadsden as a "leading advocate of an American navy."[24] The first Marines carried drums painted yellow and depicting a coiled rattlesnake with thirteen rattles along with the motto "Don't Tread on Me." This is the first recorded mention of the flag's symbolism.[citation needed]

Gadsden decided that the American navy needed a distinctive flag and took it upon himself to make one in 1775.[25][6] He gave Commodore Esek Hopkins a yellow rattlesnake flag to serve as his personal standard on USS Alfred, the flagship of America's first navy squadron.[7][20]: 289  Gadsden intended the design as a warning to Great Britain not to trample the liberties of its subjects.[26] The rattlesnake was seen in Charleston, South Carolina as a "noble and useful" animal that gave warning before it attacked.[5] Before being appointed to lead the Navy, Hopkins had led The United Companies of the Train of Artillery of the Town of Providence, a unit that flew a flag similar to Gadsden's.[27][28] He unfurled the Gadsden flag on the main mast of USS Alfred on December 20, 1775, while the ship was at anchor in Chesapeake Bay.[5][25] Whenever he was aboard, Hopkins flew the flag from the mainmast of the flagship as his personal banner.[5] Alfred was also the first recorded ship to fly the Grand Union Flag, the first national flag of the United States, when Senior Lieutenant John Paul Jones hoisted it on December 3, 1775, while the ship floated in the Delaware River near Philadelphia.[29][7]

By winter 1775, the South Carolina Provincial Congress expected that the British would invade Charleston and recalled Gadsden home from Congress in Philadelphia to command the 1st South Carolina Regiment.[5] By January 14, Gadsden had both his orders to return home and permission from the Continental Congress to leave.[5] On Friday, February 9, 1776, he presented an example of his yellow rattlesnake flag to president of the Congress William Henry Drayton.[5]

 
Flag of the Providence United Train of Artillery

Gadsden's presentation of the rattlesnake flag was recorded in the South Carolina congressional journals on February 9, 1776:

Col. Gadsden presented to the Congress an elegant standard, such as is to be used by the commander in chief of the American Navy; being a yellow field, with a lively representation of a rattlesnake in the middle in the attitude of going to strike and these words underneath, "Don't tread on me."[30]

 
A variation of the Gadsden flag appears at a pro-secession rally in Savannah, Georgia, at the onset of the American Civil War in 1860

In 1861, a ship from Georgia entered Boston Harbor flying a version of the Gadsden Flag with 15 stars on it signifying the 15 slave states. The captain removed the flag after a large and angry crowd gathered, who then destroyed it. [31]dubious

Modern use Edit

 
Map of states (colored yellow) that offer Gadsden flag specialty license plates.

For historical reasons, the Gadsden flag is still popularly flown in Charleston, South Carolina, the city where Christopher Gadsden first presented the flag and where it was commonly used during the revolution, along with the blue and white crescent flag of pre-Civil War South Carolina.

The Gadsden flag has become a popular specialty license plate in several states. As of 2022, the following states offer the option of obtaining a Gadsden flag specialty license plate: Alabama, Arizona,[32] Florida,[33][34] Kansas,[35] Maryland,[36] Missouri, Montana,[37] Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee,[38] Texas, and Virginia.[39][40]

Use as a libertarian symbol Edit

In the 1970s, libertarians began using the Gadsden flag as a symbol to represent individual rights and limited government.[41] The flag's prominent yellow or gold color is also strongly associated with libertarianism.[42] The libertarian Free State Project in New Hampshire uses a modified version of the flag with the snake replaced by a porcupine, a symbol of the libertarian movement.[43]

 
"Don't Tread On Anyone" libertarian variant of the Gadsden flag depicting multiple snakes of different colors in the coiled position of the snake on the original flag

Other libertarian variants of the flag have changed the words "Don't Tread On Me" to "Don't Tread On Anyone", in one version replacing the single snake with multiple snakes of different colors, or in other cases with a porcupine.

Use by the left Edit

In the mid-1970s, the New Left People's Bicentennial Commission used the Gadsden flag symbolism on buttons and literature.[44][45]

Use by the right Edit

 
The Gadsden flag flying over the San Francisco Civic Center Plaza
 
Gadsden flag flown in the area of demonstration during the January 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol.

The Gadsden flag has also been used by groups and individuals on the right. The Gadsden flag was featured prominently in a report related to the January 6, 2021, storming of the United States Capitol.[46][b]

Use as a symbol of the Tea Party movement Edit

Beginning in 2009, the Gadsden flag was widely used as a protest symbol by protesters who supported the American Tea Party movement.[49][50][51] It was also displayed by members of Congress at Tea Party rallies.[52] In some cases, the flag was ruled to be a political, rather than a historic or military, symbol due to the strong Tea Party connection.[53]

Used in a terrorist act Edit

In 2014, the flag was used by Jerad and Amanda Miller, the perpetrators of the 2014 Las Vegas shootings who killed two police officers and a civilian.[54] The Millers reportedly placed the Gadsden Flag on the corpse of one of the officers they killed.[55]

Legal cases involving the Gadsden flag Edit

In March 2013, the Gadsden flag was raised at a vacant armory building in New Rochelle, New York, without permission from city officials. The city ordered its removal[56] and the United Veterans Memorial & Patriotic Association, which had maintained the U.S. flag at the armory, filed suit against the city. A federal judge dismissed the case, rejecting the United Veterans' First Amendment argument and ruling that the flagpole in question was city property and thus did not represent private speech.[57]

In 2014, a US Postal Service employee filed a complaint about a coworker repeatedly wearing a hat with a Gadsden Flag motif at work. Postal service administration dismissed the complaint, but the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reversed the decision and called for a careful investigation. The EEOC issued a statement clarifying that it did not make any decision that the Gadsden flag was a "racist symbol," or that wearing a depiction of it constituted racial discrimination.[58]

Rainbow version Edit

 
Rainbow Gadsden flag

Street Patrol, a 1990s queer self-defense group affiliated with Queer Nation/San Francisco, used as its logo a coiled snake over a triangle holding a ribbon with the motto "Don't Tread on Me".[59][60] Some libertarian circles use a version of the flag with the snake and motto placed over a rainbow flag.[61] Following the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, posters containing a rainbow Gadsden flag inscribed with "#ShootBack" were placed around West Hollywood.[62]

Use outside the U.S. Edit

The Gadsden flag has been used by supporters of Argentine right-libertarian presidential candidate Javier Milei. [63]

Appearances in popular culture Edit

The Gadsden flag has made numerous appearances in popular culture, particularly in post-apocalyptic stories.

In art Edit

  • The Freedom Train, a graffiti artwork painted in 1976, incorporated the Gadsden flag in its design.

In film and television Edit

  • In the 1982 film Tootsie, the character of Jeff Slater (Bill Murray) is shown to have the Gadsden flag displayed in his bedroom.
  • In the 1985 film Rocky IV, the character of Paulie (Burt Young) wears a coat with the flag on the back while in Russia.
  • In the 1995 The Simpsons episode "Bart vs. Australia", Bart reveals in an act of "patriotism" the phrase "Don't Tread On Me" written across his buttocks when he is supposed to be kicked by the Australian Prime Minister as a punishment.
  • In the 2006 CBS apocalyptic drama series Jericho, Gadsden flags are shown several times, most notably in the series finale when Jericho's mayor, Gray Anderson (Michael Gaston), replaces the town hall's "Allied States of America" flag with a Gadsden flag.[64]
  • In the 2009 NBC mockumentary sitcom Parks and Recreation, Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) has a miniature Gadsden flag in his office.[65]
  • In the 2023 HBO apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us, Bill (Nick Offerman) has a Gadsden flag in his house.[66]

In music Edit

Notes Edit

  1. ^ During the 18th century, contractions were often written without an apostrophe.[3]
  2. ^ Thirty-four-year-old Rosanne Boyland carried one when she collapsed from an amphetamine overdose and died in the Capitol.[47][48]

References Edit

  1. ^ Waser, Thomas (December 6, 2016). "The Symbolism of the Timber-Rattlesnake in Early America". Herpetology Guy (Thomas Waser) on Steemit. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  2. ^ "Timber Rattlesnake Conservation Strategy for Pennsylvania State Forest Lands". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. April 7, 2010. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  3. ^ Lowth, Robert (1794). A Short Introduction to English Grammar: With Critical Notes. pp. 67, 79.
  4. ^ "GADSDEN, Christopher | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Godbold Jr., E. Stanly; Woody, Robert Hilliard (1982). Christopher Gadsden and the American Revolution. Univ. of Tennessee Press. pp. 142–150. ISBN 978-0-87049-363-8.
  6. ^ a b c . American Battlefield Trust. November 6, 2019. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "Alfred". Naval History and Heritage Command. U.S. Navy. June 9, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2023. Alfred, Hopkins' flagship, was placed in commission on 3 December 1775
  8. ^ . California SAR. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  9. ^ "Join, or Die". Pennsylvania Gazette. Philadelphia. May 9, 1754. p. 2. Retrieved January 19, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.  
  10. ^ "The Rattlesnake as a Symbol of America - by Benjamin Franklin". greatseal.com. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  11. ^ "Top 23 Symbols of Freedom & Liberty Throughout History". Give Me History. November 25, 2020.
  12. ^ Nicholson, Katie (February 15, 2022). "From snakes to Spartans: The meaning behind some of the flags convoy protesters are carrying". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
  13. ^ Miller, Matthew M. F. (November 20, 2020). "The Radical Individualism Raging Throughout America". Shondaland. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  14. ^ Robertson, Marcella (October 28, 2020). "Confederate flag along I-95 in Stafford removed, replaced with 'Don't Tread On Me' flag". WUSA9.
  15. ^ Bosso, Joe (June 25, 2012). "James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett reflect on Metallica's Black Album". MusicRadar. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  16. ^ Scocca, Tom. "Flag daze". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  17. ^ "Yellow Gadsden Flag Carries a Long and Shifting History". Snopes.com. January 8, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  18. ^ Neuman, Scott (August 10, 2022). "A Florida license plate has reopened the debate over the 'Don't tread on me' flag". NPR. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  19. ^ Rosenberg, Matthew; Tiefenthäler, Ainara (January 13, 2021). "Decoding the Far-Right Symbols at the Capitol Riot". The New York Times. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  20. ^ a b c McCandless, Byron; Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor (1917). Our flag number: with 1197 flags in full colors and 300 additional illustrations in black and white. National Geographic Society. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  21. ^ Leepson, Marc; DeMille, Nelson (2006). Flag: An American Biography. Macmillan. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-312-32309-7. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  22. ^ "A More Perfect Union: Symbolizing the National Union of States". Library of Congress. July 23, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  23. ^ Franklin, Benjamin (December 27, 1775). . The Franklin Institute. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000.
  24. ^ Aron, Paul (2008). We Hold These Truths...: And Other Words That Made America. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-7425-6273-8.
  25. ^ a b McDonough, Daniel J. (2000). Christopher Gadsden and Henry Laurens: The Parallel Lives of Two American Patriots. Susquehanna University Press. pp. 169–173. ISBN 978-1-57591-039-0.
  26. ^ Godbold, E.; Woody, Robert (January 1982). Christopher Gadsden and the American Revolution. The University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 0-87049-362-0.
  27. ^ . www.crwflags.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  28. ^ "Flag of the United Train of Artillery of Providence". The Monticello Classroom. January 28, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  29. ^ Rankin, Hugh F. “The Naval Flag of the American Revolution.” William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 11, no. 3, 1954, pp. 340–53. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1943310. Accessed 20 Feb. 2023.
  30. ^ Hicks, Frederick Cocks (1918). The flag of the United States. United States Government Printing Office. p. 23. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  31. ^ "The disgraced Confederate history of the 'Don't Tread on Me' flag". Washington Post. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  32. ^ "2020 Arizona Revised Statutes :: Title 28 - Transportation :: § 28-2439 Don't tread on me special plates". Justia Law. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  33. ^ Neuman, Scott (August 10, 2022). "A Florida license plate has reopened the debate over the 'Don't tread on me' flag". NPR. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  34. ^ Abad, Dylan (August 2, 2022). "Florida's new 'Don't Tread On Me' license plate stirs controversy". WFLA-TV. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  35. ^ Taborda, Noah (April 12, 2021). "Kansas Legislature endorses Gadsden flag license plate supporting state rifle association". Kansas Reflector. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  36. ^ . Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  37. ^ "Service Organizations & Associations". Montana Department of Justice.
  38. ^ . friendsofsycamoreshoals.org. Archived from the original on December 14, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  39. ^ . Tea Party. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  40. ^ Schwarz, Hunter (August 25, 2014). "States where you can get a 'Don't Tread On Me' license plate". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  41. ^ Walker, Rob. "The Shifting Symbolism of the Gadsden Flag". The New Yorker. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  42. ^ Sawer, Marian (April 18, 2007). "Wearing your Politics on your Sleeve: The Role of Political Colors in Social Movements". Social Movement Studies. 6 (1): 39–56. doi:10.1080/14742830701251294. ISSN 1474-2837. S2CID 145495971.
  43. ^ Doherty, Brian (November 16, 2016). "Free State Project Supporter Shot in Fight That Began Over Its Porcupine Flag". Reason. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  44. ^ Hall, Simon. "'Guerrilla-Theater... In the Guise of Red, White, and Blue Bunting': The People's bicentennial Commission and the Politics of (Un-)Americanism. Journal of American Studies, Vol. 52, No. 1 (February 2018); pp. 114–136. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018; pp. 114-136
  45. ^ Daly, Christopher. "The Peoples Bicentennial Commission: Slouching Towards the Economic Revolution" The Harvard Crimson April 28, 1975
  46. ^ Rosenberg, Matthew; Tiefenthäler, Ainara (January 13, 2021). "Decoding the Far-Right-Symbols at the Capitol-Riot". The New York Times. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  47. ^ Melendez, Pilar (April 7, 2021). "Capitol Rioter Rosanne Boyland died from Drug-Overdose, not trampling". The Daily Beast.
  48. ^ "Death of QAnon-Follower at Capitol leaves a Wake of Pain". The New York Times. May 30, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  49. ^ . New Haven, Connecticut: WTNH. May 26, 2010. Archived from the original on January 13, 2011. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
  50. ^ Hayes, Ted (May 27, 2010). . East Bay Newspapers. Archived from the original on June 11, 2010. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  51. ^ Macedo, Diane (April 7, 2010). "Connecticut Marines Fight for 'Don't Tread on Me' Flag Display". Fox News. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
  52. ^ (Press release). FlagandBanner.com. Marketwire. April 16, 2009. Archived from the original on August 14, 2009. Retrieved July 7, 2009 – via Reuters.
  53. ^ "Tea Party flag will not fly at Connecticut Capitol". NECN. April 8, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
  54. ^ "Las Vegas shooting suspects left swastika, 'Don't tread on me' flag on dead officers". CBS News.
  55. ^ "Two Cops, Three Others Killed in Las Vegas Shooting Spree". NBC News. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  56. ^ "Flag's Believed Ties To Tea Party Lead To Removal From New Rochelle Building". CBS 2 New York. April 22, 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  57. ^ "New Rochelle veterans lose Gadsden flag case". The Journal News / Lohud. December 24, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  58. ^ "What You Should Know about EEOC and Shelton D. v. U.S. Postal Service (Gadsden Flag case)". U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  59. ^ Miles, Sara (July 1, 1992). "The Fabulous Fight Back". Outlook (17): 57, 59. OCLC 17286887.
  60. ^ Collie, Robert (April 29, 1991). "Squad patrols Castro for gay-bashers". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  61. ^ "Gadsden Flag (U.S.)". Flags of the World. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  62. ^ Branson-Potts, Hailey (June 16, 2016). "West Hollywood plastered with rainbow #ShootBack signs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  63. ^ "Far-right outsider takes shock lead in Argentina primary election". TheGuardian.com.
  64. ^ "Jericho Video – Jericho – Season 2: Episode 7: Patriots And Tyrants w/ Commentary". CBS. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  65. ^ "Parks And Rec: 10 Hidden Details About Ron Swanson's Office". ScreenRant. November 14, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  66. ^ MacLeod, Riley (January 29, 2023). "'The Last of Us' tells a new but familiar queer love story". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  67. ^ Masciotra, David (2015). Metallica. 33 1/3. Vol. 108. Bloomsbury. p. 65.

External links Edit

  Media related to Gadsden flag at Wikimedia Commons

October 15, 2023
gadsden, flag, historical, american, flag, with, yellow, field, depicting, timber, rattlesnake, coiled, ready, strike, beneath, rattlesnake, words, dont, tread, some, modern, versions, flag, include, apostrophe, usebannerproportionvaries, generally, 3adoptedde. The Gadsden flag is a historical American flag with a yellow field depicting a timber rattlesnake 1 2 coiled and ready to strike Beneath the rattlesnake are the words DONT TREAD ON ME a Some modern versions of the flag include an apostrophe Gadsden flagUseBannerProportionVaries generally 2 3AdoptedDecember 20 1775DesignA yellow banner charged with a yellow coiled timber rattlesnake facing toward the hoist sitting upon a patch of green grass with thirteen rattles for the thirteen colonies the words DONT TREAD ON ME positioned below the snake in blackDesigned byChristopher GadsdenThe flag is named for Christopher Gadsden a South Carolina delegate to the Continental Congress and brigadier general in the Continental Army 4 5 who designed the flag in 1775 during the American Revolution 6 He gave the flag to Commodore Esek Hopkins and it was unfurled on the main mast of Hopkins s flagship USS Alfred on December 20 1775 5 7 Two days later Congress made Hopkins commander in chief of the Continental Navy 8 He adopted the Gadsden banner as his personal flag flying it from the mainmast of the flagship while he was aboard 5 The Continental Marines also flew the flag during the early part of the war 6 The rattlesnake was a symbol of the unity of the Thirteen Colonies at the start of the Revolutionary War and it had a long history as a political symbol in America Benjamin Franklin used it for his Join or Die woodcut in 1754 5 9 Gadsden intended his flag as a warning to Britain not to violate the liberties of its American subjects 5 The flag has been described as the most popular symbol of the American Revolution 5 Its design proclaims an assertive warning of vigilance and willingness to act in defense against coercion 10 This has led it to be associated with the ideas of individualism and liberty 11 12 13 14 15 16 It is often used in the United States as a symbol for right libertarianism classical liberalism and small government for distrust or defiance against authorities and government 17 18 19 Contents 1 Appearance and symbolism 1 1 Variations in appearance 1 2 History of the rattlesnake symbol in America 2 History 3 Modern use 3 1 Use as a libertarian symbol 3 2 Use by the left 3 3 Use by the right 3 4 Use as a symbol of the Tea Party movement 3 5 Used in a terrorist act 3 6 Legal cases involving the Gadsden flag 3 7 Rainbow version 3 8 Use outside the U S 4 Appearances in popular culture 4 1 In art 4 2 In film and television 4 3 In music 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksAppearance and symbolism EditVariations in appearance Edit Many variations of the Gadsden flag exist The motto sometimes includes an apostrophe in the word Don t and sometimes not 20 339 the typeface used for the motto is sometimes a serif typeface and other times sans serif The rattlesnake sometimes is shown as resting on a green ground representations dating from 1885 and 1917 do not display anything below the rattlesnake The rattlesnake usually faces to the left and the early representations mentioned above face left However some versions of the flag show the snake facing to the right History of the rattlesnake symbol in America Edit This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed September 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message nbsp Benjamin Franklin s Join or Die cartoonThe timber rattlesnake can be found in the area of the original Thirteen Colonies Like the bald eagle part of its significance is that it was unique to the Americas serving as a means of showing a separate identity from the Old World Its use as a symbol of the American colonies can be traced back to the publications of Benjamin Franklin In 1751 he made the first reference to the rattlesnake in a satirical commentary published in his Pennsylvania Gazette It had become the policy of Parliament to send some convicted criminals to the Americas primarily the Province of Georgia so Franklin suggested that Americans thank Parliament by sending rattlesnakes to Britain 21 In 1754 during the French and Indian War Franklin published Join or Die a woodcut of a snake cut into eight sections It represented the colonies with New England joined as the head and South Carolina as the tail following their order along the coast This was the first political cartoon published in an American newspaper citation needed In 1774 Paul Revere added Franklin s iconic cartoon to the nameplate of Isaiah Thomas s paper the Massachusetts Spy depicted there as fighting a British griffin 22 In December 1775 Benjamin Franklin published an essay in the Pennsylvania Journal under the pseudonym American Guesser in which he suggested that the rattlesnake was a good symbol for the American spirit and its valuation for vigilance assertiveness individualism unity and liberty 23 there was painted a Rattle Snake with this modest motto under it Don t tread on me she has no eye lids She may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance She never begins an attack nor when once engaged ever surrenders The Rattle Snake is solitary and associates with her kind only when it is necessary for their preservation 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 The power of fascination attributed to her by a generous construction may be understood to mean that those who consider the liberty and blessings which America affords and once come over to her never afterwards leave her but spend their lives with her nbsp Flag of the Culpeper MinutemenThe rattlesnake symbol was first officially adopted by the Continental Congress in 1778 when it approved the design for the seal of the War Office citation needed At the top center of the seal is a rattlesnake holding a banner that says This we ll defend This design of the War Office seal was carried forward with some minor modifications into the subsequent designs as well as the Department of the Army s seal emblem and flag citation needed As such some variation of a rattlesnake symbol has been in continuous official use by the US Army for over 243 years Other American flags that use a rattlesnake motif include The United Companies of the Train of Artillery of the Town of Providence the First Navy Jack and the Culpeper Minutemen flag among others In the 21st century the Gadsden Flag has been used by supporters of the Tea Party movement History Edit nbsp Gadsden s flag in an 1885 schoolbook nbsp Christopher Gadsden designer of the flag painted by Charles Fraser in 1819George Washington established the Continental Navy in 1775 as Commander in Chief of the Continental Forces before Esek Hopkins was named Commodore of the Navy The first ships were used to intercept incoming transport ships carrying war supplies to the British in the colonies in order to supply the Continental Army which was desperately undersupplied in the opening years of the American Revolutionary War Continental Colonel Christopher Gadsden represented South Carolina in the Congress and he was one of seven members of the Marine Committee outfitting the first naval mission 5 20 289 Paul Aron described Gadsden as a leading advocate of an American navy 24 The first Marines carried drums painted yellow and depicting a coiled rattlesnake with thirteen rattles along with the motto Don t Tread on Me This is the first recorded mention of the flag s symbolism citation needed Gadsden decided that the American navy needed a distinctive flag and took it upon himself to make one in 1775 25 6 He gave Commodore Esek Hopkins a yellow rattlesnake flag to serve as his personal standard on USS Alfred the flagship of America s first navy squadron 7 20 289 Gadsden intended the design as a warning to Great Britain not to trample the liberties of its subjects 26 The rattlesnake was seen in Charleston South Carolina as a noble and useful animal that gave warning before it attacked 5 Before being appointed to lead the Navy Hopkins had led The United Companies of the Train of Artillery of the Town of Providence a unit that flew a flag similar to Gadsden s 27 28 He unfurled the Gadsden flag on the main mast of USS Alfred on December 20 1775 while the ship was at anchor in Chesapeake Bay 5 25 Whenever he was aboard Hopkins flew the flag from the mainmast of the flagship as his personal banner 5 Alfred was also the first recorded ship to fly the Grand Union Flag the first national flag of the United States when Senior Lieutenant John Paul Jones hoisted it on December 3 1775 while the ship floated in the Delaware River near Philadelphia 29 7 By winter 1775 the South Carolina Provincial Congress expected that the British would invade Charleston and recalled Gadsden home from Congress in Philadelphia to command the 1st South Carolina Regiment 5 By January 14 Gadsden had both his orders to return home and permission from the Continental Congress to leave 5 On Friday February 9 1776 he presented an example of his yellow rattlesnake flag to president of the Congress William Henry Drayton 5 nbsp Flag of the Providence United Train of ArtilleryGadsden s presentation of the rattlesnake flag was recorded in the South Carolina congressional journals on February 9 1776 Col Gadsden presented to the Congress an elegant standard such as is to be used by the commander in chief of the American Navy being a yellow field with a lively representation of a rattlesnake in the middle in the attitude of going to strike and these words underneath Don t tread on me 30 nbsp A variation of the Gadsden flag appears at a pro secession rally in Savannah Georgia at the onset of the American Civil War in 1860In 1861 a ship from Georgia entered Boston Harbor flying a version of the Gadsden Flag with 15 stars on it signifying the 15 slave states The captain removed the flag after a large and angry crowd gathered who then destroyed it 31 dubiousModern use Edit nbsp Map of states colored yellow that offer Gadsden flag specialty license plates For historical reasons the Gadsden flag is still popularly flown in Charleston South Carolina the city where Christopher Gadsden first presented the flag and where it was commonly used during the revolution along with the blue and white crescent flag of pre Civil War South Carolina The Gadsden flag has become a popular specialty license plate in several states As of 2022 update the following states offer the option of obtaining a Gadsden flag specialty license plate Alabama Arizona 32 Florida 33 34 Kansas 35 Maryland 36 Missouri Montana 37 Oklahoma South Carolina Tennessee 38 Texas and Virginia 39 40 Use as a libertarian symbol Edit In the 1970s libertarians began using the Gadsden flag as a symbol to represent individual rights and limited government 41 The flag s prominent yellow or gold color is also strongly associated with libertarianism 42 The libertarian Free State Project in New Hampshire uses a modified version of the flag with the snake replaced by a porcupine a symbol of the libertarian movement 43 nbsp Don t Tread On Anyone libertarian variant of the Gadsden flag depicting multiple snakes of different colors in the coiled position of the snake on the original flagOther libertarian variants of the flag have changed the words Don t Tread On Me to Don t Tread On Anyone in one version replacing the single snake with multiple snakes of different colors or in other cases with a porcupine Use by the left Edit In the mid 1970s the New Left People s Bicentennial Commission used the Gadsden flag symbolism on buttons and literature 44 45 Use by the right Edit nbsp The Gadsden flag flying over the San Francisco Civic Center Plaza nbsp Gadsden flag flown in the area of demonstration during the January 6 2021 storming of the U S Capitol The Gadsden flag has also been used by groups and individuals on the right The Gadsden flag was featured prominently in a report related to the January 6 2021 storming of the United States Capitol 46 b Use as a symbol of the Tea Party movement Edit Beginning in 2009 the Gadsden flag was widely used as a protest symbol by protesters who supported the American Tea Party movement 49 50 51 It was also displayed by members of Congress at Tea Party rallies 52 In some cases the flag was ruled to be a political rather than a historic or military symbol due to the strong Tea Party connection 53 Used in a terrorist act Edit In 2014 the flag was used by Jerad and Amanda Miller the perpetrators of the 2014 Las Vegas shootings who killed two police officers and a civilian 54 The Millers reportedly placed the Gadsden Flag on the corpse of one of the officers they killed 55 Legal cases involving the Gadsden flag Edit In March 2013 the Gadsden flag was raised at a vacant armory building in New Rochelle New York without permission from city officials The city ordered its removal 56 and the United Veterans Memorial amp Patriotic Association which had maintained the U S flag at the armory filed suit against the city A federal judge dismissed the case rejecting the United Veterans First Amendment argument and ruling that the flagpole in question was city property and thus did not represent private speech 57 In 2014 a US Postal Service employee filed a complaint about a coworker repeatedly wearing a hat with a Gadsden Flag motif at work Postal service administration dismissed the complaint but the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reversed the decision and called for a careful investigation The EEOC issued a statement clarifying that it did not make any decision that the Gadsden flag was a racist symbol or that wearing a depiction of it constituted racial discrimination 58 Rainbow version Edit nbsp Rainbow Gadsden flagStreet Patrol a 1990s queer self defense group affiliated with Queer Nation San Francisco used as its logo a coiled snake over a triangle holding a ribbon with the motto Don t Tread on Me 59 60 Some libertarian circles use a version of the flag with the snake and motto placed over a rainbow flag 61 Following the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting posters containing a rainbow Gadsden flag inscribed with ShootBack were placed around West Hollywood 62 Use outside the U S Edit The Gadsden flag has been used by supporters of Argentine right libertarian presidential candidate Javier Milei 63 Appearances in popular culture EditThe Gadsden flag has made numerous appearances in popular culture particularly in post apocalyptic stories In art Edit The Freedom Train a graffiti artwork painted in 1976 incorporated the Gadsden flag in its design In film and television Edit In the 1982 film Tootsie the character of Jeff Slater Bill Murray is shown to have the Gadsden flag displayed in his bedroom In the 1985 film Rocky IV the character of Paulie Burt Young wears a coat with the flag on the back while in Russia In the 1995 The Simpsons episode Bart vs Australia Bart reveals in an act of patriotism the phrase Don t Tread On Me written across his buttocks when he is supposed to be kicked by the Australian Prime Minister as a punishment In the 2006 CBS apocalyptic drama series Jericho Gadsden flags are shown several times most notably in the series finale when Jericho s mayor Gray Anderson Michael Gaston replaces the town hall s Allied States of America flag with a Gadsden flag 64 In the 2009 NBC mockumentary sitcom Parks and Recreation Ron Swanson Nick Offerman has a miniature Gadsden flag in his office 65 In the 2023 HBO apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us Bill Nick Offerman has a Gadsden flag in his house 66 In music Edit American heavy metal band Metallica recorded a song called Don t Tread on Me on their self titled fifth studio album released in 1991 The album cover features a dark gray picture of a coiled rattlesnake like the one found on the Gadsden Flag 67 Notes Edit During the 18th century contractions were often written without an apostrophe 3 Thirty four year old Rosanne Boyland carried one when she collapsed from an amphetamine overdose and died in the Capitol 47 48 References Edit Waser Thomas December 6 2016 The Symbolism of the Timber Rattlesnake in Early America Herpetology Guy Thomas Waser on Steemit Retrieved August 26 2019 Timber Rattlesnake Conservation Strategy for Pennsylvania State Forest Lands Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources April 7 2010 Retrieved August 26 2019 Lowth Robert 1794 A Short Introduction to English Grammar With Critical Notes pp 67 79 GADSDEN Christopher US House of Representatives History Art amp Archives history house gov Retrieved February 20 2023 a b c d e f g h i j k l m Godbold Jr E Stanly Woody Robert Hilliard 1982 Christopher Gadsden and the American Revolution Univ of Tennessee Press pp 142 150 ISBN 978 0 87049 363 8 a b c Short History of the United States Flag American Battlefield Trust November 6 2019 Archived from the original on February 15 2023 Retrieved February 20 2023 a b c Alfred Naval History and Heritage Command U S Navy June 9 2022 Retrieved February 20 2023 Alfred Hopkins flagship was placed in commission on 3 December 1775 Esek Hopkins appointed Commander in Chief of Continental Navy California SAR Archived from the original on February 20 2023 Retrieved February 20 2023 Join or Die Pennsylvania Gazette Philadelphia May 9 1754 p 2 Retrieved January 19 2014 via Newspapers com nbsp The Rattlesnake as a Symbol of America by Benjamin Franklin greatseal com Retrieved February 18 2022 Top 23 Symbols of Freedom amp Liberty Throughout History Give Me History November 25 2020 Nicholson Katie February 15 2022 From snakes to Spartans The meaning behind some of the flags convoy protesters are carrying Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Miller Matthew M F November 20 2020 The Radical Individualism Raging Throughout America Shondaland Retrieved March 5 2022 Robertson Marcella October 28 2020 Confederate flag along I 95 in Stafford removed replaced with Don t Tread On Me flag WUSA9 Bosso Joe June 25 2012 James Hetfield Kirk Hammett reflect on Metallica s Black Album MusicRadar Retrieved March 5 2022 Scocca Tom Flag daze The Boston Globe Retrieved March 5 2022 Yellow Gadsden Flag Carries a Long and Shifting History Snopes com January 8 2021 Retrieved February 17 2022 Neuman Scott August 10 2022 A Florida license plate has reopened the debate over the Don t tread on me flag NPR Retrieved October 15 2022 Rosenberg Matthew Tiefenthaler Ainara January 13 2021 Decoding the Far Right Symbols at the Capitol Riot The New York Times Retrieved October 15 2022 a b c McCandless Byron Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor 1917 Our flag number with 1197 flags in full colors and 300 additional illustrations in black and white National Geographic Society Retrieved August 18 2016 Leepson Marc DeMille Nelson 2006 Flag An American Biography Macmillan p 12 ISBN 978 0 312 32309 7 Retrieved August 18 2016 A More Perfect Union Symbolizing the National Union of States Library of Congress July 23 2010 Retrieved August 18 2016 Franklin Benjamin December 27 1775 The Rattlesnake as a Symbol of America The Franklin Institute Archived from the original on August 15 2000 Aron Paul 2008 We Hold These Truths And Other Words That Made America Rowman amp Littlefield p 51 ISBN 978 0 7425 6273 8 a b McDonough Daniel J 2000 Christopher Gadsden and Henry Laurens The Parallel Lives of Two American Patriots Susquehanna University Press pp 169 173 ISBN 978 1 57591 039 0 Godbold E Woody Robert January 1982 Christopher Gadsden and the American Revolution The University of Tennessee Press ISBN 0 87049 362 0 United Company of the Train of Artillery U S www crwflags com Archived from the original on December 8 2021 Retrieved February 21 2023 Flag of the United Train of Artillery of Providence The Monticello Classroom January 28 2017 Retrieved April 3 2018 Rankin Hugh F The Naval Flag of the American Revolution William and Mary Quarterly vol 11 no 3 1954 pp 340 53 JSTOR https doi org 10 2307 1943310 Accessed 20 Feb 2023 Hicks Frederick Cocks 1918 The flag of the United States United States Government Printing Office p 23 Retrieved August 18 2016 The disgraced Confederate history of the Don t Tread on Me flag Washington Post Retrieved June 16 2023 2020 Arizona Revised Statutes Title 28 Transportation 28 2439 Don t tread on me special plates Justia Law Retrieved February 8 2022 Neuman Scott August 10 2022 A Florida license plate has reopened the debate over the Don t tread on me flag NPR Retrieved August 12 2022 Abad Dylan August 2 2022 Florida s new Don t Tread On Me license plate stirs controversy WFLA TV Retrieved August 27 2022 Taborda Noah April 12 2021 Kansas Legislature endorses Gadsden flag license plate supporting state rifle association Kansas Reflector Retrieved February 8 2022 Gadsden Pew Club license plate Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration Archived from the original on January 31 2018 Retrieved January 31 2018 Service Organizations amp Associations Montana Department of Justice Friends of Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park friendsofsycamoreshoals org Archived from the original on December 14 2018 Retrieved December 29 2016 Seven States Now Offer Don t Tread on Me License Plates Is Yours on the List Tea Party News Tea Party Archived from the original on August 12 2016 Retrieved August 18 2016 Schwarz Hunter August 25 2014 States where you can get a Don t Tread On Me license plate The Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved August 18 2016 Walker Rob The Shifting Symbolism of the Gadsden Flag The New Yorker Retrieved November 7 2020 Sawer Marian April 18 2007 Wearing your Politics on your Sleeve The Role of Political Colors in Social Movements Social Movement Studies 6 1 39 56 doi 10 1080 14742830701251294 ISSN 1474 2837 S2CID 145495971 Doherty Brian November 16 2016 Free State Project Supporter Shot in Fight That Began Over Its Porcupine Flag Reason Retrieved February 12 2021 Hall Simon Guerrilla Theater In the Guise of Red White and Blue Bunting The People s bicentennial Commission and the Politics of Un Americanism Journal of American Studies Vol 52 No 1 February 2018 pp 114 136 Cambridge Cambridge University Press 2018 pp 114 136 Daly Christopher The Peoples Bicentennial Commission Slouching Towards the Economic Revolution The Harvard Crimson April 28 1975 Rosenberg Matthew Tiefenthaler Ainara January 13 2021 Decoding the Far Right Symbols at the Capitol Riot The New York Times Retrieved March 23 2021 Melendez Pilar April 7 2021 Capitol Rioter Rosanne Boyland died from Drug Overdose not trampling The Daily Beast Death of QAnon Follower at Capitol leaves a Wake of Pain The New York Times May 30 2021 Retrieved June 1 2021 Gadsden flag denied over State Capitol New Haven Connecticut WTNH May 26 2010 Archived from the original on January 13 2011 Retrieved January 23 2011 Hayes Ted May 27 2010 Tea Party flag rankles some East Bay Newspapers Archived from the original on June 11 2010 Retrieved September 7 2011 Macedo Diane April 7 2010 Connecticut Marines Fight for Don t Tread on Me Flag Display Fox News Retrieved August 2 2010 Gadsden Flags Flying Off the Shelves in Support of the Tea Party Tax Protest Press release FlagandBanner com Marketwire April 16 2009 Archived from the original on August 14 2009 Retrieved July 7 2009 via Reuters Tea Party flag will not fly at Connecticut Capitol NECN April 8 2010 Retrieved August 2 2010 Las Vegas shooting suspects left swastika Don t tread on me flag on dead officers CBS News Two Cops Three Others Killed in Las Vegas Shooting Spree NBC News Retrieved November 30 2020 Flag s Believed Ties To Tea Party Lead To Removal From New Rochelle Building CBS 2 New York April 22 2013 Retrieved August 18 2016 New Rochelle veterans lose Gadsden flag case The Journal News Lohud December 24 2014 Retrieved January 8 2021 What You Should Know about EEOC and Shelton D v U S Postal Service Gadsden Flag case U S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Retrieved January 10 2021 Miles Sara July 1 1992 The Fabulous Fight Back Outlook 17 57 59 OCLC 17286887 Collie Robert April 29 1991 Squad patrols Castro for gay bashers San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved February 10 2021 Gadsden Flag U S Flags of the World Retrieved February 10 2021 Branson Potts Hailey June 16 2016 West Hollywood plastered with rainbow ShootBack signs Los Angeles Times Retrieved February 10 2021 Far right outsider takes shock lead in Argentina primary election TheGuardian com Jericho Video Jericho Season 2 Episode 7 Patriots And Tyrants w Commentary CBS Retrieved August 18 2016 Parks And Rec 10 Hidden Details About Ron Swanson s Office ScreenRant November 14 2019 Retrieved August 8 2021 MacLeod Riley January 29 2023 The Last of Us tells a new but familiar queer love story The Washington Post Retrieved February 11 2023 Masciotra David 2015 Metallica 33 1 3 Vol 108 Bloomsbury p 65 External links Edit nbsp Media related to Gadsden flag at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gadsden flag amp oldid 1177910611, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.