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Mikayla Hribal

CAS 137H 002

Lori Bedell

5 October 2022

The Rattlesnake: From Revolution to Women’s Rights

As the wind rustles through the thick bushes and leaves softly crunch underfoot, the

sound of a serene forest echoes about the trail. Passing by a crumbling log, a sudden hiss and

rattle echo out from underneath, interrupting the once silent path. “Do not come closer,” the

rattle warns. “I shall soon strike,” the snake hisses. That same snake bears its fangs throughout

America’s history as a symbol of this country’s defense against both external and internal

threats. One of the first and most prominent uses of this commonplace arose during the French

and Indian War when Benjamin Franklin attempted to unite the colonies under British rule

against Canada through the “Join or Die” cartoon (Stone). However, in years to come, the same

cartoon would be repurposed by the patriots to again unite the colonies, but this time, against the

British (Stone). The numerous adaptations of this cartoon have themselves become

commonplaces in American ideals. For example, the Gadsden Flag, originally flown in the

Revolution, to this day represents the fight for freedom and liberty with its signature “Don’t

Tread On Me” caption (Walker). A modern adaptation is its use to protest abortion restrictions,

where the same disjointed snake from the “Join or Die” cartoon is now coiled into the shape of a

uterus, ready to attack. Although Benjamin Franklin’s “Join or Die” cartoon and the women’s

rights movement’s “Don’t Tread on Me” flag both urge action through similar commonplaces

and intrinsic proofs, they differ in their effectiveness to responding to an oppositional audience.
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By utilizing the snake as a commonplace, the “Join or Die” cartoon serves as a warning

to unite the colonies against a common threat. Though originally about the French and Indian

War, it is most cited from the Revolutionary Era where the Patriots warned against British

oppression suffocating the colonies (Stone). The cartoon applies the often-overlooked myth on

snakes that if cut into pieces, it can be resurrected if rejoined by sundown (Kiger). The cartoon

labels such severed sections of a snake as the American colonies with the caption “JOIN, or

DIE,” declaring that each colony, while separated, is doomed for death (Stone). However, if the

colonies were to unite their severed pieces, they would be reborn into a deadly snake, ready to

fight against any threat. It served to draw support and unify people under the promise that

together, America will be stronger and ready to strike, as swift and strong as the snake.

In contrast, the women’s rights movement’s reimaging of the “Don’t Tread On Me” flag

draws upon the warning of a rattlesnake to protect reproductive rights. The original Gadsden flag

protected liberty during the revolution by using the rattlesnake as their shield, since it is well

respected and feared as a deadly animal. However, the rattlesnake does not typically attack

without a rattle warning, unless it is directly tread upon (Allread). Similarly, the uterus flag with

caption “Don’t Tread On Me” serves as that warning rattle. If anyone should tread upon

women’s reproductive rights, they are willing to strike back, as surely as any snake would. To

the opposition, it deters them from restricting abortion. To supporters, it is a promise that they

will no be complacent in their fight for reproductive rights.

Both the cartoon and flag argue for the respective causes through similar intrinsic proofs

developed by their snake imagery, though the flag’s ethos derives from the success of prior

adaptations of the “Don’t Tread On Me” flag. With the cartoon, a major pathetic appeal is the

fear of injury or death. It outright shouts “DIE” at the reader, as if a slap in the face to remind
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them of their inherent doom. This fear, emphasized by the image of the separated and dying

snake, plays into the logical appeal by giving the illusion of two choices, join their cause or

death, where “DIE” is not viable, leaving “JOIN” as the only option. Thus, by using fear and

logic, it bottlenecks the viewer into choosing to join their cause. When British oppression

threatened the colonies, the cartoon emphasized the option to join and unite against Britain, in

order to prevent that fear of death from coming true. Thus, it was effective in connecting the

divided colonies in the Revolutionary War. Though supporting a modern cause, the uterus flag

also utilizes fear from the snake barring its fangs and coiling protectively around a uterus

coupled with the warning, “Don’t Tread On Me.” If someone does tread on these rights, they

should brace for an attack. Though differing from the cartoon, the logical appeal is for opposition

to back off rather than join because the fear of attack from the coiled rattlesnake wards the

opposition from treading on reproductive rights. Additionally, the flag’s appeal to authority is

derived from previous adaptations of this flag such as the Gadsden flag and the “Join or Die”

cartoon. Based off of the snake’s powerful imagery in Franklin’s cartoon, the Gadsden flag was

created with a now united snake to demonstrate the Patriot’s dedication and unity to protect their

liberty against Britain (Walker). The core of America’s founding has been this defiance in the

name of liberty, which Americans today respect, regardless of political affiliation. By tying the

ideals of freedom and liberty to the Gadsden flag and reimaging it as their own, the women’s

rights movement uses that historic momentum to gain credibility within modern society as a

movement for liberty.

Despite having similar intrinsic proofs, the cartoon’s pathetic appeal and snake imagery

was pitted against itself while the flag was able to counteract oppositional audiences with its

logical appeals. During the Revolutionary Era, Christianity was highly influential within society
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and regulated people’s actions and beliefs. Within the Bible, the snake represents the origins of

evil and deceit, and the Loyalists, who still believed in British authority, intentionally

misrepresented the cartoon as the sinful call of a deceitful snake (Walker). Additionally,

Christians believe in life after death and thus, are not supposed to fear dying. Consequently, a

cartoon with a deceitful snake warning them to fear death would be judged as blasphemy to a

Christian audience. This undermines the entire Patriotic movement as an “evil” and “deceiving”

simply based off of the snake imagery in the cartoon. This interpretation was intentionally

developed by Loyalists to weaken the appeal of the Patriotic movement to the average citizen.

Most people, upon hearing this, would internalize those negative connotations before the actual

rhetorical appeals, which is why the cartoon by itself was not able to overcome these

misrepresentations.

Despite the women’s rights movement facing similar opposition from conservatives, the

“Don’t Tread on Me” flag counteracts misrepresentation with logical appeals. The conservative

movement’s use of the Gadsden flag often represents the 2nd Amendment, and it was later

reimaged by the women’s rights movement to support reproductive rights (Walker). To some far-

right individuals, the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag will always characterize the 2nd amendment and

conservative ideals, and anything else is a misrepresentation of its original intent, completely

denying the validity of the women’s rights flag. However, the uterus flag’s logical appeal then

argues, “If you supported this flag’s fight for liberty on conservative ideas, then how can you

ignore another group’s struggle for their rights?” This logic no longer makes it a matter of who is

right or wrong, but a question of “Do you support liberty?” Since it is an undeniable foundation

of this country, most Americans would agree. Though the two sides may never settle upon
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abortion’s definition, conservatives can at least empathize with the women’s rights movement’s

cry for liberty. Thus, the flag still stands as both a defender of abortion and as a call for liberty.

Even though the “Join or Die” cartoon and the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag held different

impacts on their audiences, they both utilized commonplaces and intrinsic proofs to urge action

in support of their causes. The rhetorical messages enclosed in these artifacts have been essential

to building this nation. From the French and Indian War, to revolutionizing democracy, and to

modern fights for liberty, the power of just one cartoon and caption can echo through time,

despite every misinterpretation and every opposition that stood in its way. This is how history is

made. Not just by governments. Not just by wars. It is by every argument and artifact slowly

shaping the world, one word at a time.

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Works Cited

Allred, Brandi. “The Don't Tread On Me Flag and Phrase: History, Meaning, and Symbolism.”

AZ Animals, 15 Sept. 2022, https://a-z-animals.com/blog/the-dont-tread-on-me-

rattlesnakes-surprising-history/.

Kiger, Patrick J. “How an 18th-Century Political Cartoon Went Viral.” History.com, A&E

Television Networks, 23 Oct. 2018, https://www.history.com/news/ben-franklin-join-or-

die-cartoon-french-indian-war.

Lesniak, Anne. “Feminist Take on Gadsen Flag Goes Viral.” If It's Hip, It's Here, 24 June 2022,

https://www.ifitshipitshere.com/uterus-gadsen-flag.

Stone, Daniel P. “Join, or Die: Political and Religious Controversy over Franklin's Snake

Cartoon.” Journal of the American Revolution, 23 Jan. 2018,

https://allthingsliberty.com/2018/01/join-die-political-religious-controversy-franklins-

snake-cartoon/.

Walker, Rob. “The Shifting Symbolism of the Gadsden Flag.” The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2016,

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-shifting-symbolism-of-the-gadsden-flag.