Gadsden Flag / Don't Tread On Me

Work in progress

About

The Gadsden Flag is an iconic historical American flag that consists of a drawing of a coiled rattlesnake on a patch of grass with the phrase “DON’T TREAD ON ME” displayed below, all on a yellow background. Originally introduced during the American Revolution, the flag has since become associated with libertarianism and the Tea Party movement in the 21st century.

Origin

The design originated in 1775 as one of the flags used by the American navy during its revolutionary war against the British Empire. The use of the snake as a symbol and metaphor was already popular at the time; an early example was a political cartoon, “Join, or Die”,^[2] created in the 1750s by Benjamin Franklin during the Seven Years’ War (shown below). The cartoon featured the various states of the American colonies represented by the dismembered sections of a snake.

The original design was likely first used by the Marines of the newly formed American navy, though the precise origin is unknown.^[1] Colonel Christopher Gadsden, after whom the flag is named, saw the design and was so impressed by it that he ordered an official flag to be created with it.^[3]

Spread

Due to its historical significance as one of the first flags of the United States, the Gadsden flag has long been used as a symbol of American patriotism by members of the military service, and more recently, by the supporters of the U.S. national soccer teams including Sam’s Army and The American Outlaws since the late 1980s. However, the flag saw its most notable modern resurgence in 2009, when it became unofficially adopted as a symbol of the American Tea Party movement. As a result of its prominent display during Tea Party rallies and protests, both the design of the Gadsden flag and the phrase “Don’t Tread on Me” became a popular subject of parodies and mockeries online.