America as a Snake
Frustrated by the unwillingness of colonial legislatures
to accept his "Plan
for Colonial Union
"out of fear they might lose individual
power by agreeing to work jointly, Franklin designed and published
this simple warning: Join or Die.
Why a snake? Some believe Franklin used a snake as a follow-up
to an earlier warning he had issued to the English in response
to their practice of exporting convicted felons to the colonies.
He suggested that the colonists return the favor by shipping
to Britain "a cargo of rattlesnakes, which could be distributed
in St. James Park, Spring Garden, and other places of pleasure,
and particularly in the noblemen's gardens." The Library
of Congress's online exhibit entitled "Temple
of Liberty: Building the Capitol for a New NationThe exhibit
at the Library of Congress" has a section on Symbolizing
the National Union of States
that explains: "Benjamin Franklin consulted Baroque emblem
books to find an appropriate symbol for the union of the colonies.
A French source provided the image of a cut snake with the motto
that translated as 'Join, or Die.' An Italian iconography book
stated that snakes symbolized democracy, government by the people."
And in a paper entitled "The
Snake That Would Not Die" Karen Cook pointed out that
"Although historians have lauded Franklin's snake as a
cartoon 'first' they have failed to identify it as a symbolic
map. The curves of the snake suggest the coastline's shape,
and the labels on its eight segments are in geographical order,
from 'N.E.' - New England - at its head to 'S.C.' - South Carolina
- at its tail." However, for the ultimate word on
the subject, you might want to consult Franklin himself.
He gave his own point of view on this matter in his essay, The
Rattle-Snake as a Symbol of America, printed in The Pennsylvania
Journal, December 27, 1775.
But if unity was necessary, how was it to be achieved? The
answer to that question, too, can be discovered by investigating
the way that Franklin's image was used in the colonies. A number
of American newspapers in the period before and during the Revolution
used mastheads incorporating Franklin's device, like the one
designed by Paul Revere for Isaiah Thomas' "Massachusetts
Spy" shown below.
As you will notice, there is one significant difference
between the snake depicted here and Franklin's original. This
transformation of this icon helps explain its sudden popularity
in 1774. According to legend, a snake that had been cut into pieces
could heal itself into a perfect whole. The masthead snake, its
pieces joined together, is now a dangerous foe that should not
be ignored. Though small, it carries a fatal bite. What better
symbol could there be for the colonies, now united, as they prepared
to face off against a better established enemy. And some of the
revolutionary era depictions of the snake carried a revised slogan
as well: "United Now Alive and Free Firm on this Basis Liberty
Shall Stand and Thus Supported Ever Bless Our Land Till Time Becomes
However, the only reason that the symbol of the snake was able
to promote American unity was because it was disseminated effectively
among the people through various modes, including newspaper
mastheads, broadsides, flags, currency, and even buttons.
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