Historical American flag
Gadsden flag Use Banner Proportion Varies, generally 2:3 Adopted December 20, 1775 Design A yellow banner charged with a yellow spiraled timber rattlesnake facing toward the hoist sitting upon a patch of lush green grass, with thirteen rattles, representing the thirteen colonies, the words "DONT TREAD ON ME " positioned below the snake in black font Designed by Christopher Gadsden
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.
The flag is named after Christopher Gadsden , a South Carolinian 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 to serve as a physical symbol of the American Revolution's ideals.[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 of right-libertarianism , classical liberalism , and small government , as well as for distrust or defiance against authorities and government.[17] [18] [19]
^ 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 & Archives" . history.house.gov . Retrieved February 20, 2023 .
^ a b c d e f Godbold Jr., E. Stanly; Woody, Robert Hilliard (1982). Christopher Gadsden and the American Revolution . University of Tennessee Press . pp. 142–150. ISBN 978-0-87049-363-8 .
^ a b "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 .
^ "Alfred" . Naval History and Heritage Command . U.S. Navy . June 9, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2023 .
^ "Esek Hopkins appointed Commander-in-Chief of Continental Navy" . California SAR . December 22, 2022. 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 .
^ "The Rattlesnake as a Symbol of America - by Benjamin Franklin" . greatseal.com . Retrieved February 18, 2022 .
^ "Top 23 Symbols of Freedom & 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; Tiefenthäler, Ainara (January 13, 2021). "Decoding the Far-Right Symbols at the Capitol Riot" . The New York Times . Retrieved October 15, 2022 .
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha>
tags or {{efn}}
templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
template or {{notelist}}
template (see the help page ).