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{{short description|Historical American flag}} |
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{{Infobox flag |
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[[File:Gadsden flag.svg|thumb|The Gadsden flag]] |
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| Name = Gadsden flag |
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| Image = Gadsden flag.svg |
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| Use = [[Banner]] |
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| Symbol = {{FIAV|normal}} |
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| Proportion = Varies, generally 2:3 |
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| Adoption = December 20, 1775 |
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| 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 |
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| Designer = [[Christopher Gadsden]] |
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}} |
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{{Libertarianism US|expanded=culture}} |
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The '''Gadsden flag''' is a [[History of the flags of the United States#Historical flags|historical American flag]] with a yellow field depicting a [[timber rattlesnake]]<ref name="herpetology-guy">{{cite web |url=https://steemit.com/science/@herpetologyguy/the-symbolism-of-the-timber-rattlesnake-in-early-america |title=The Symbolism of the Timber-Rattlesnake in Early America |last=Waser |first=Thomas |website=Herpetology Guy (Thomas Waser) on Steemit|date=December 6, 2016 |access-date=August 26, 2019}}</ref><ref name="dcnr-pa-gov">{{cite web |url=https://docplayer.net/22266478-Timber-rattlesnake-conservation-strategy-for-pennsylvania-state-forest-lands.html |title=Timber Rattlesnake Conservation Strategy for Pennsylvania State Forest Lands |publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |date=April 7, 2010 |access-date=August 26, 2019}}</ref> coiled and ready to strike. Beneath the rattlesnake are the words [[Don't Tread on Me|Dont Tread on Me]].{{efn|During the 18th century, contractions were often written without an apostrophe.<ref>{{cite book|first=Robert|last=Lowth|title=A Short Introduction to English Grammar: With Critical Notes|year=1794|pages=67, 79}}</ref>}} Some modern versions of the flag include an apostrophe. |
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The flag is named after [[Christopher Gadsden]], a [[South Carolina in the American Revolution|South Carolinian]] delegate to the [[Continental Congress]] and [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]] in the [[Continental Army]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=GADSDEN, Christopher {{!}} US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives |url=https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/G/GADSDEN,-Christopher-(G000002)/ |access-date=2023-02-20 |website=history.house.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Godbold Jr. |first1=E. Stanly |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yjBkGVyRR2oC |title=Christopher Gadsden and the American Revolution |last2=Woody |first2=Robert Hilliard |date=1982 |publisher=[[University of Tennessee Press]] |isbn=978-0-87049-363-8 |pages=142–150 |language=en |quote=}}</ref> who designed the flag in 1775 during the [[American Revolution]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2019-11-06 |title=Short History of the United States Flag |url=https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/short-history-united-states-flag |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215223816/https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/short-history-united-states-flag |archive-date=February 15, 2023 |access-date=2023-02-20 |website=[[American Battlefield Trust]] |language=en-US}}</ref> He gave the flag to Commodore [[Esek Hopkins]], and it was unfurled on the main mast of Hopkins' [[flagship]] [[USS Alfred|USS ''Alfred'']] on December 20, 1775.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=June 9, 2022 |title=Alfred |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/ships/ships-of-sail/alfred.html |access-date=2023-02-20 |website=[[Naval History and Heritage Command]] |publisher=[[U.S. Navy]] |language=en-US |quote=}}</ref> Two days later, Congress made Hopkins [[commander-in-chief]] of the [[Continental Navy]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Esek Hopkins appointed Commander-in-Chief of Continental Navy |url=https://www.californiasar.org/2022/12/esek-hopkins-appointed-commanderchief-of-continental-navy/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220170625/https://www.californiasar.org/2022/12/esek-hopkins-appointed-commanderchief-of-continental-navy/ |archive-date=February 20, 2023 |access-date=2023-02-20 |website=California SAR |date=December 22, 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref> He adopted the Gadsden banner as his personal flag, flying it from the mainmast of the flagship while he was aboard.<ref name=":0" /> The [[Continental Marines]] also flew the flag during the early part of the war.<ref name=":1" /> |
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The '''Gadsden flag''' is a historical [[Flag of the United States|American flag]] with a yellow field depicting a [[rattlesnake]] coiled and ready to strike. Positioned below the rattlesnake are the words "Don't tread on me". The flag is named after American general and statesman [[Christopher Gadsden]] (1724–1805), who designed it in 1775 during the [[American Revolution]]. It was also used by the [[Continental Marines]] as an early motto flag, along with the [[Moultrie Flag]]. |
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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.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite news |date=May 9, 1754 |title=Join, or Die |page=2 |work=Pennsylvania Gazette |location=Philadelphia |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1607106/join_or_die/ |access-date=January 19, 2014 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> Gadsden intended his flag to serve as a physical symbol of the American Revolution's ideals.<ref name=":0" /> |
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Contemporary uses of the Gadsden flag include political movements such as [[libertarianism]] and the [[Tea Party movement|American Tea Party]], and American soccer supporter groups including [[Sam's Army]] and [[The American Outlaws]] since the late 1980s. |
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The flag has been described as the "most popular symbol of the American Revolution."<ref name=":0" /> Its design proclaims an [[Assertiveness|assertive]] warning of vigilance and willingness to act in defense against coercion.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Rattlesnake as a Symbol of America - by Benjamin Franklin|url=https://greatseal.com/symbols/rattlesnake.html|access-date=2022-02-18|website=greatseal.com}}</ref> This has led it to be associated with the ideas of [[individualism]] and [[liberty]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 25, 2020 |title=Top 23 Symbols of Freedom & Liberty Throughout History |url=https://www.givemehistory.com/symbols-of-freedom |website=Give Me History}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nicholson |first=Katie |date=February 15, 2022 |title=From snakes to Spartans: The meaning behind some of the flags convoy protesters are carrying |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/convoy-protest-flags-extremism-1.6351336 |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Matthew M. F. |date=2020-11-20 |title=The Radical Individualism Raging Throughout America |url=https://www.shondaland.com/act/news-politics/a34729330/the-radical-individualism-raging-throughout-america/ |access-date=2022-03-05 |website=Shondaland |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Marcella |date=October 28, 2020 |title=Confederate flag along I-95 in Stafford removed, replaced with 'Don't Tread On Me' flag |url=https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/virginia/confederate-flag-along-i-95-in-stafford-to-be-removed/65-8a35b363-a562-4630-b653-159b83a80b6c |website=WUSA9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Joe |last=Bosso |date=2012-06-25 |title=James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett reflect on Metallica's Black Album |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/james-hetfield-kirk-hammett-reflect-on-metallicas-black-album-550395 |access-date=2022-03-05 |website=MusicRadar |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Scocca |first=Tom |title=Flag daze |work=The Boston Globe |url=http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/06/13/flag_daze/ |access-date=2022-03-05}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web| title=Yellow Gadsden Flag Carries a Long and Shifting History|url=https://www.snopes.com/news/2021/01/08/yellow-gadsden-flag-carries-a-long-and-shifting-history/|access-date=2022-02-17|website=Snopes.com|date=January 8, 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/08/10/1116523396/florida-dont-tread-on-me-license-plate-ron-desantis |title=A Florida license plate has reopened the debate over the 'Don't tread on me' flag |last=Neuman |first=Scott |date=August 10, 2022 |publisher=[[NPR]] |access-date=October 15, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/video/extremist-signs-symbols-capitol-riot.html |title=Decoding the Far-Right Symbols at the Capitol Riot |last1=Rosenberg |first1=Matthew |last2=Tiefenthäler |first2=Ainara |date=January 13, 2021 |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=October 15, 2022}}</ref> |
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==History== |
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===Snake symbolism=== |
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Only the [[Crotalus horridus|timber rattlesnake]] occurs throughout the area of the original [[Thirteen Colonies]]. 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 (newspaper)|Pennsylvania Gazette]]''. It had been the policy of [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] to send convicted criminals to the Americas, so Franklin suggested that they thank the British by sending rattlesnakes to [[England]].<ref name="LeepsonDeMille2006">{{cite book|last1=Leepson|first1=Marc|last2=DeMille|first2=Nelson|title=Flag: An American Biography|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=qqjzyyZjYTEC&pg=PA12|date=May 30, 2006|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=978-0-312-32309-7|page=12}}</ref> |
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==Appearance and symbolism== |
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[[File:Benjamin Franklin - Join or Die.jpg|thumb|Benjamin Franklin's "[[Join, or Die]]" cartoon]] |
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===Variations in appearance=== |
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Many variations of the Gadsden flag exist. The motto may or may not include an apostrophe in the word "Don't";<ref name="natgeo" />{{rp|339}} the [[typeface]] used for the motto may or may not use a [[serif]] typeface. The rattlesnake is sometimes 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. |
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===History of the rattlesnake symbol in America=== |
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In 1754, during the [[French and Indian War]], Franklin published his famous woodcut of a snake cut into eight sections. It represented the colonies, with [[New England]] joined together as the head and [[South Carolina Colony|South Carolina]] as the tail, following their order along the coast. Under the snake was the message "[[Join, or Die]]". This was the first [[political cartoon]] published in an American newspaper. |
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{{More citations needed section|date=September 2022}} |
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[[File:Benjamin Franklin - Join or Die.jpg|thumb|[[Benjamin Franklin]]'s ''[[Join, or Die]]'' cartoon]] |
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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 (newspaper)|Pennsylvania Gazette]]''. It had become the policy of the [[Parliament of Great Britain|British Parliament]] to send convicted criminals to Britain's North American colonies (primarily the [[Province of Georgia]]), so Franklin suggested that Americans thank Parliament by sending rattlesnakes to Britain.<ref name="LeepsonDeMille2006">{{cite book |last1=Leepson |first1=Marc |last2=DeMille |first2=Nelson |title=Flag: An American Biography |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qqjzyyZjYTEC&pg=PA12 |year= 2006 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-312-32309-7 |page=12 |access-date=August 18, 2016}}</ref> |
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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 Colony|South Carolina]] as the tail, following their order along the coast. This was the first [[political cartoon]] published in an American newspaper.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Colorful History of Comic Books and Newspaper Cartoon Strips |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-comic-books-1991480 |access-date=2024-01-12 |website=ThoughtCo |language=en}}</ref> |
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As the American colonies came to identify more with their own communities and the concept of liberty, rather than as vassals of the British empire, icons that were unique to the Americas became increasingly popular. The rattlesnake, like the [[bald eagle]] and [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|American Indian]], came to symbolize American ideals and society.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boston-tea-party.org/mohawks.html |title=Mohawk was Emerging as a Symbol of Liberty in the New Land |publisher=Boston-tea-party.org |accessdate=July 29, 2014}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=October 2014}} |
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In 1774, [[Paul Revere]] added Franklin's iconic cartoon to the nameplate of [[Isaiah Thomas (publisher)|Isaiah Thomas]]'s paper, the ''[[Massachusetts Spy]]'', depicted there as fighting a British [[griffin]].<ref name=loc>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/us.capitol/s1.html#gadsden |title=A More Perfect Union: Symbolizing the National Union of States |date=July 23, 2010 |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=August 18, 2016}}</ref> |
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{{cite web|url=http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/us.capitol/s1.html#gadsden |
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|title=A More Perfect Union: Symbolizing the National Union of States |
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|accessdate=December 7, 2006 |
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|publisher=Library of Congress}}</ref> |
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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: |
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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:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Franklin |first=Benjamin |date=December 27, 1775 |title=The Rattlesnake as a Symbol of America |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000815233248/http://www.fi.edu/qa99/musing3/ |url=http://www.fi.edu/qa99/musing3/ |archive-date=August 15, 2000 |website=The Franklin Institute}}</ref><blockquote>[...] 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.</blockquote>[[File:Culpeper Minutemen flag.svg|thumb|Flag of the [[Culpeper Minutemen]]]] |
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{{quote box | width=95% | border=0 | class = letterhead | quote=<br>I recollected that her eye excelled in brightness, that of any other animal, and that 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: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage.—As if anxious to prevent all pretensions of quarreling with her, the weapons with which nature has furnished her, she conceals in the roof of her mouth, so that, to those who are unacquainted with her, she appears to be a most defenseless animal; and even when those weapons are shown and extended for her defense, they appear weak and contemptible; but their wounds however small, are decisive and fatal:—Conscious of this, she never wounds till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of stepping on her.—Was I wrong, Sir, in thinking this a strong picture of the temper and conduct of America?<ref>[http://www.fi.edu/qa99/musing3/ [Franklin, Benjamin as quoted under his pseudonym, "The American Guesser" December 27th, 1775, ''From the Franklin Institute''<nowiki>]</nowiki>]</ref>}} |
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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|date=November 2020}} 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 [[Seal and emblem of the United States Department of the Army|Department of the Army's seal, emblem and flag]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}} As such, some variation of a rattlesnake symbol has been in continuous official use by the US Army for over 243 years. |
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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. |
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The rattlesnake symbol was first officially adopted by the Continental Congress in 1778 when it approved the design for the official Seal of the War Office (at that time and for many years thereafter, the War Office was a term associated with the Headquarters of the Army). At the top center of the Seal is a rattlesnake holding a banner which says: "This We'll Defend". According to the US Army's Institute of Heraldry, "'This We'll Defend,' on a scroll held by the rattlesnake is a symbol depicted on some American colonial flags and signifies the Army's constant readiness to defend and preserve the United States.' This design of the War Office Seal was carried forward - with some minor modifications - into the subsequent designs for the War Department's Seal, and the Department of the Army's Seal, Emblem and Flag. As such, the rattlesnake symbol has been in continuous official use by the US Army for over 236 years. |
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In the 21st century, the Gadsden Flag has been used by supporters of the [[Tea Party movement]]. |
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===Gadsden's flag=== |
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[[File:1885 History of US flags med.jpg|thumb|Gadsden's flag in an 1885 [[textbook|schoolbook]].]] |
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==History== |
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In fall 1775, the [[Continental Navy]] was established by General [[George Washington]] in his role as Commander in Chief of all Continental Forces, before [[Esek Hopkins]] was named Commodore of the Navy. The Navy began with seven ships, often called "Washington Cruisers", that flew the "[[Pine Tree Flag|Liberty Tree Flag]]", depicting a green pine tree with the motto "Appeal to Heaven". This is according to the October 20, 1775 letter of Washington's aide Colonel Joseph Reed, which is stored in the Library of Congress. |
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[[File:1885 History of US flags med.jpg|thumb|Gadsden's flag in an 1885 schoolbook]] |
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[[File:Christopher Gadsden.jpg|left|thumb|[[Christopher Gadsden]], designer of the flag, painted by [[Charles Fraser (artist)|Charles Fraser]] in 1819]] |
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[[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]]. |
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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.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="natgeo">{{cite book |title=Our flag number: with 1197 flags in full colors and 300 additional illustrations in black and white |year=1917 |publisher=[[National Geographic Society]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=22s9AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA289 |first1=Byron |last1=McCandless |author2=Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor |access-date=August 18, 2016}}</ref>{{rp|289}} Paul Aron described Gadsden as a "leading advocate of an American navy."<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Aron |first=Paul |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A_aFtN0W_D0C&dq=gadsden+flag&pg=PA51 |title=We Hold These Truths...: And Other Words That Made America |date=2008 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-7425-6273-8 |pages=51 |language=en}}</ref> 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|date=August 2013}} |
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The illustration on this page shows four flags. The one in the upper left is a common artist's rendition, where the motto is incorrect. The correct motto is "Appeal to Heaven", not "AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN" according to the letter from Washington's aide. [[Caslon]] was the common typeface of the day, used on both the Declaration and the Constitution, not the sans serif typeface shown on the flag image. |
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Gadsden decided that the American navy needed a distinctive flag and took it upon himself to make one in 1775.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=McDonough |first=Daniel J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ILH-FlV4mU8C&q=gadsden+flag |title=Christopher Gadsden and Henry Laurens: The Parallel Lives of Two American Patriots |date=2000 |publisher=Susquehanna University Press |isbn=978-1-57591-039-0 |pages=169–173 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> He gave Commodore [[Esek Hopkins]] a yellow rattlesnake flag to serve as his personal standard on [[USS Alfred|USS ''Alfred'']], the flagship of America's first navy squadron.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="natgeo" />{{rp|289}} Gadsden intended the design to serve as a physical symbol of the American Revolution's ideals.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Godbold |first1=E. |url=https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_early-american/6/ |title=Christopher Gadsden and the American Revolution |last2=Woody |first2=Robert |date=January 1982 |publisher=The University of Tennessee Press |isbn=0-87049-362-0}}</ref> The rattlesnake was seen in [[Charleston, South Carolina]] as a "noble and useful" animal that gave warning before it attacked.<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=United Company of the Train of Artillery (U.S.) |url=https://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/FLAGS/us-ucta.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208071218/https://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/FLAGS/us-ucta.html |archive-date=December 8, 2021 |access-date=2023-02-21 |website=www.crwflags.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://classroom.monticello.org/media-item/flag-of-the-united-train-of-artillery-of-providence/|title=Flag of the United Train of Artillery of Providence|work=The Monticello Classroom|date=January 28, 2017|access-date=April 3, 2018}}</ref> 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]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":5" /> Whenever he was aboard, Hopkins flew the flag from the mainmast of the flagship as his personal banner.<ref name=":0" /> ''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]].<ref name=":3">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.</ref><ref name=":2" /> |
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Those first ships were used to intercept incoming British ships carrying war supplies to the British troops in the colonies to both deprive the supplies to the British and to supply to the Continental Army. One ship captured by Captain John Manley had 30,000 pairs of shoes on it. However, the admiralty agent demanded his 2 1/2 per cent commission before he would release the cargo for Washington's army, so many soldiers marched barefoot in the snow. To aid in this, the [[Second Continental Congress]] authorized the mustering of five companies of Marines to accompany the Navy on their first mission. The first Marines enlisted in the city of [[Philadelphia]], and they carried drums painted yellow, depicting a coiled rattlesnake with thirteen rattles, and the motto "Don't Tread on Me." This is the first recorded mention of the future Gadsden flag's symbolism.{{Citation needed|date=August 2013}} |
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By winter 1775, the [[South Carolina Provincial Congress]] expected that British forces would attack Charleston and recalled Gadsden home from Congress in Philadelphia to command the [[1st South Carolina Regiment]].<ref name=":0" /> By January 14, Gadsden had both his orders to return home and permission from the Continental Congress to leave.<ref name=":0" /> On Friday, February 9, 1776, he presented an example of his yellow rattlesnake flag to president of the Congress [[William Henry Drayton]].<ref name=":0" /> |
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At the Congress, [[Continental Army|Continental]] [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] Christopher Gadsden represented his home state of [[South Carolina]]. He was one of seven members of the Marine Committee who were outfitting the first naval mission.<ref name="natgeo">{{cite book|title=Our flag number: with 1197 flags in full colors and 300 additional illustrations in black and white|year=1917|publisher=[[National Geographic Society]]|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=22s9AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA289|authors=Byron McCandless, Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor}}</ref>{{rp|289}} |
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[[File:The United Companies of the Train of Artillery of the Town of Providence ORIGINAL.jpg|thumb|Flag of the Providence United Train of Artillery]] |
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Before the departure of that first mission in December 1775, the newly appointed [[commander-in-chief]] of the Navy, [[Commodore (USN)|Commodore]] [[Esek Hopkins]], received the yellow rattlesnake flag from Gadsden to serve as the distinctive personal standard of his flagship. It was displayed at the mainmast.<ref name="natgeo"/>{{rp|289}} |
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Gadsden |
Gadsden's presentation of the rattlesnake flag was recorded in the South Carolina congressional journals on February 9, 1776: |
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{{ |
{{blockquote|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]]."<ref>{{cite book |last=Hicks |first=Frederick Cocks |title=The flag of the United States |date=1918 |publisher=[[United States Government Printing Office]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/flagofunitedsta00hick/page/23 23] |url=https://archive.org/details/flagofunitedsta00hick |access-date=August 18, 2016}}</ref> |
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}} |
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[[File:The first flag of independence raised in the South, by the citizens of Savannah, Ga. November 8th, 1860 - drawn by Henry Cleenewerck, Savannah, Ga. ; lithographed by R.H. Howell, Savannah, LCCN2004665374.jpg|thumb|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]] |
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===Variations in appearance=== |
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Many variations of the Gadsden flag exist: |
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* The motto sometimes includes an apostrophe in the word "Don't" and sometimes does not. Early written discussions uniformly include an apostrophe; however, as early as 1917, a flag reference book includes a picture of a version without the apostrophe.<ref name="natgeo"/>{{rp|339}} |
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* The typeface used for the motto is sometimes a serif typeface and other times sans-serif. |
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* The rattlesnake sometimes is shown as resting on a green ground, presumably grassy, and sometimes not. The green grass seems to be a recent addition; representations dating from 1885 and 1917 do not display anything below the rattlesnake. |
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* 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. |
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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.<ref>{{ Cite news |title=The disgraced Confederate history of the 'Don't Tread on Me' flag |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/06/14/confederacy-dont-tread-on-me-flag |access-date=2023-06-16 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en }}</ref> |
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==Other rattlesnake flags== |
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The [[Culpeper Minutemen]] flag has a coiled rattlesnake and the same motto as the Gadsden flag. It has a white field, rather than yellow, and the additional motto "Liberty or Death" and the name "The Culpeper Minute Men". It is the flag of Virginia volunteers from the Culpeper area. |
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==Modern use== |
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The John Proctor's Regiment flag of 1st Battalion Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, had a coiled rattlesnake shown on its flag.<ref>http://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/franklin/_upload/files/Fort%20Pitt%20Flag%20Story%20-%20Western%20Pa.%20History%20Magazine.pdf</ref> |
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[[File:Gadsden Flag License Plate by State.svg|thumb|left|Map of states (colored yellow) that offer Gadsden flag specialty license plates.]] |
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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 [[Flag of South Carolina|blue and white crescent flag]] of pre-Civil War [[South Carolina]]. |
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The Gadsden flag has become a popular specialty [[Vehicle registration plate|license plate]] in several states. {{As of|2022}}, the following states offer the option of obtaining a Gadsden flag specialty license plate: [[Alabama]], [[Arizona]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=2020 Arizona Revised Statutes :: Title 28 - Transportation :: § 28-2439 Don't tread on me special plates|url=https://law.justia.com/codes/arizona/2020/title-28/section-28-2439/|access-date=2022-02-08|website=Justia Law|language=en}}</ref> [[Florida]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Neuman |first1=Scott |title=A Florida license plate has reopened the debate over the 'Don't tread on me' flag |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/08/10/1116523396/florida-dont-tread-on-me-license-plate-ron-desantis |access-date=12 August 2022 |publisher=NPR |date=10 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last1=Abad | first1=Dylan | title=Florida's new 'Don't Tread On Me' license plate stirs controversy | url=https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/floridas-new-dont-tread-on-me-license-plate-stirs-controversy/ | date=August 2, 2022 | publisher=[[WFLA-TV]] | access-date=August 27, 2022}}</ref> [[Kansas]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Taborda|first=Noah|date=2021-04-12|title=Kansas Legislature endorses Gadsden flag license plate supporting state rifle association|url=https://kansasreflector.com/2021/04/12/kansas-legislature-endorses-gadsden-flag-license-plate-supporting-state-rifle-association/|access-date=2022-02-08|website=Kansas Reflector|language=en-US}}</ref> [[Maryland]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mva.maryland.gov/vehicles/_images/plates/organizational/Gadsden-Pew-Club.gif |title=Gadsden Pew Club license plate |publisher=Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration |access-date=January 31, 2018 |archive-date=January 31, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180131200644/http://www.mva.maryland.gov/vehicles/_images/plates/organizational/Gadsden-Pew-Club.gif |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Missouri]], [[Montana]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dojmt.gov/driving/plate-designs-and-fees/service-organizations-associations/|title=Service Organizations & Associations|publisher=Montana Department of Justice}}</ref> [[Oklahoma]], [[South Carolina]], [[Tennessee]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.friendsofsycamoreshoals.org/gadsden_plate.html|title=Friends of Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park|website=friendsofsycamoreshoals.org|access-date=2016-12-29|archive-date=December 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214001542/http://friendsofsycamoreshoals.org/gadsden_plate.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Texas]], and [[Virginia]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.teaparty.org/seven-states-now-offer-dont-tread-license-plates-list-52858/ |title=Seven States Now Offer 'Don't Tread on Me' License Plates; Is Yours on the List? - Tea Party News |website=Tea Party |language=en-US |access-date=August 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812181613/http://www.teaparty.org/seven-states-now-offer-dont-tread-license-plates-list-52858/ |archive-date=August 12, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/08/25/states-where-you-can-get-a-dont-tread-on-me-license-plate/ |title=States where you can get a 'Don't Tread On Me' license plate |last=Schwarz |first=Hunter |date=August 25, 2014 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286|access-date=August 18, 2016}}</ref> |
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The Rhode Island Militia Artillery also used a coiled rattlesnake on its flag. Before Esek Hopkins was named the first Commodore of the American Navy by the Continental Congress, where his brother Stephen Hopkins was an influential member of the Maritime Committee, Esek Hopkins served as a Brigadier General of the Rhode Island Militia Artillery, so would have been very welcoming to the Gadsden flag that also had a coiled rattlesnake. Despite the Rhode Island Artillery declining to provide any cannon to outfit the first seven ships of the American Navy commissioned by Washington, Hopkins was "loaned" about 200 men from Washington's Army to help him man his ships, but he was slow in "repaying" the loan according to correspondence from the Commander in Chief Washington. Commodore Esek Hopkins did not do well in command, and was relieved by the Continental Congress after an ill-fated raid on New Providence in the Bahamas.{{Citation needed|date=August 2013}} |
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===Use as a libertarian symbol=== |
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All four of the American-designed "Rattlesnake Flags" show a ''coiled'' rattlesnake. The only other rattlesnake flag, the [[First Navy Jack]], was "designed by" the English artist Thomas Hart as background art.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} |
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In the 1970s, [[Libertarianism in the United States|libertarians]] began using the Gadsden flag as a symbol to represent individual rights and limited government.<ref name="Walker">{{cite magazine|last1=Walker|first1=Rob|title=The Shifting Symbolism of the Gadsden Flag|language=en-us|magazine=The New Yorker|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-shifting-symbolism-of-the-gadsden-flag|access-date=7 November 2020}}</ref> The flag's prominent yellow or gold [[Political colour|color]] is also strongly associated with libertarianism.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sawer |first=Marian |date=April 18, 2007 |title=Wearing your Politics on your Sleeve: The Role of Political Colors in Social Movements |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14742830701251294 |journal=Social Movement Studies |language=en |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=39–56 |doi=10.1080/14742830701251294 |s2cid=145495971 |issn=1474-2837}}</ref> |
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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.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Doherty |first1=Brian |title=Free State Project Supporter Shot in Fight That Began Over Its Porcupine Flag |url=https://reason.com/2016/11/16/free-state-project-member-shot-in-fight/ |website=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]] |access-date=12 February 2021 |date=16 November 2016}}</ref> |
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[[File:DontTreadOnAnyone-Snakes-Flag.png|thumb|"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]] |
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The traditional version of the First Navy Jack has an uncoiled rattlesnake and the same motto as the Gadsden flag, on a field of 13 horizontal red and white stripes. Flag experts ([[Vexillology|vexillologists]]) speculate that the English artist Thomas Hart either did not know about the practice of rattlesnakes to coil in defense, or did, and intended to insult the fledgling American Navy as a weak and vulnerable creature as a rattlesnake is when not coiled and ready to strike, slithering on the ground, trying to escape, with its motto "[Please] Don't Tread on Me!" |
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However, others{{who|date=August 2013}} suggest the snake pictured on the flag was being provoked, and is striking. Hence the warning, "Don't tread on me [or I will strike]".{{Citation needed|date=August 2013}} |
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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. |
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==Contemporary use== |
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[[File:Naval Jack of the United States.svg|thumb|[[First Navy Jack]]]] |
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[[File:Don't tread on me.jpg|thumb|Celebrating with the Gadsden flag, early morning, May 2, 2011, hours after the announcement of [[Reactions to the death of Osama bin Laden|Osama bin Laden's death]]]] |
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===Use by the left=== |
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Considered one of the first flags of the United States, the flag was later replaced by the current [[Flag of the United States|Stars and Stripes]] (or [[Old Glory]]) flag. Since the Revolution, the flag has seen resurgences as a symbol of American [[patriotism]], disagreement with government, or support for civil liberties. |
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In the mid-1970s, the [[New Left]] [[People's Bicentennial Commission]] used the Gadsden flag symbolism on buttons and literature.<ref>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</ref><ref>[https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1975/4/28/the-peoples-bicentennial-commission-pif-you Daly, Christopher. "The Peoples Bicentennial Commission: Slouching Towards the Economic Revolution"] ''[[The Harvard Crimson]]'' April 28, 1975</ref> |
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Following ''[[Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization]]'', which struck down ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'', [[abortion rights]] activists were seen at a Texas rally carrying a version of the flag with the snake in the shape of a human [[uterus]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Godfrey |first1=Elaine |title=Is This How Democrats Break Their Midterm Curse? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/09/texas-abortion-law-means-midterms/619966/ |website=The Atlantic |language=en |date=3 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Appeals Court Upholds Texas Law to Ban Abortion Procedure |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-18/appeals-court-upholds-texas-law-to-ban-abortion-procedure |website=Bloomberg.com |language=en |date=18 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Watch Where You Step: "Don't Tread on Me" Used to Support Access to Abortion – Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret. |url=https://sites.psu.edu/maggieleigh/2021/09/02/watch-where-you-step-dont-tread-on-me-used-to-support-access-to-abortion/ |website=sites.psu.edu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |agency=Associated Press |title=Court upholds Texas law banning common abortion method |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/19/texas-abortion-court-upholds-ban-method-dilation-evacuation |website=The Guardian |date=19 August 2021}}</ref> This design was created by Anne Lesniak.<ref>{{cite web |title=Don't Tread On Me Uterus |url=https://rebelgirlrampage.com/collections/dont-tread-on-me |website=Rebel Girl Rampage |language=en}}</ref> |
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The [[First Navy Jack]], which was not directly related to the Gadsden flag, has been in use by the [[United States Navy]] since its beginnings. Unlike the Liberty Tree Flag with the letter by Colonel Joseph Reed that describes it, there is no document that describes the Snake on Stripes flag, only an image by English artist Thomas Hart in the background of a portrait of Commodore Esek Hopkins. In that same painting is a round "tree flag". The triangular Liberty Tree flag is derived from the only surviving tree flag from the Revolution, found in an old trunk in 1993 on Long Island, the 5th Regt. Connecticut Militia. The Snake on Stripes flag was included in a book of flags by Admiral Preble, but later Preble determined the flag not valid, so removed it from his text. However, the book publisher used the old color plates, so the image was continued in the new edition, and subsequently picked up by other publications and ''[[Webster's Dictionary]]''.{{Citation needed|date=August 2013}} |
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===Use by the right=== |
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In preparation for the bicentennial year 1976, staff officers in the Secretary of the Navy's office sought a powerful image for the Navy's Bicentennial. One Navy officer saw the Snake on Stripes Flag in ''Webster's Dictionary'', so the staff officers ordered a large number to give away as Navy promotional items, and then turned to the Naval Historical Center to "get the history". They were told that the flag had probably never flown during the Revolution, based on Admiral Preble's later discoveries, but a decision was made to use the Snake on Stripes Flag, or the "Fake Snake Flag", anyway. Beginning in 1975, commissioned Navy ships flew this Jack in place of the Naval Jack (officially known as the Union Jack, not to be confused with the United Kingdom's Flag) at the bow. In 1977, the [[Secretary of the Navy]] directed that the ship in active status with the longest total period of active service shall display the First Navy Jack until decommissioned or transferred to inactive service, at which time the flag shall be passed to the next ship in line with appropriate honors. The display of this jack by the oldest ship in the fleet is intended as a form of recognition to promote pride of service, enhance morale, and contribute to the tradition of naval service. [[USS Enterprise (CVN-65)|USS ''Enterprise'']] (CVN 65) became the oldest active ship in the United States Navy upon the decommissioning of [[USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)|USS ''Kitty Hawk'']] (CV 63) on May 12, 2009. Enterprise is only the third [[aircraft carrier]] ever to hold the honor of flying the [[First Navy Jack]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Don't Tread on Me Flag History|url=http://www.navyjack.info/history.html|accessdate=August 27, 2011}}</ref> |
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{{multiple image |
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Since the first [[Patriot Day]] on September 11, 2002, which commemorates the lives lost in the [[September 11 attack]]s, the rattlesnake from the flag is also shown on the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]'s [[Drill Sergeant Identification Badge]]. After the Snake On Stripes Flag became the Navy's symbol for the Global War on Terrorism, flag history professionals{{vague|date=August 2013}} ([[vexillology|vexillologists]]) have done extensive research papers that further question the claim that the flag ever flew during the American Revolution. Yet it continues to fly at the bow of American warships today.{{Citation needed|date=August 2013}} |
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| perrow = 1 |
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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 [[Flag of South Carolina|blue and white crescent flag]] of pre-Civil War [[South Carolina]]. |
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| align = right |
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=== License plates === |
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The Gadsden flag has become a popular specialty [[Vehicle registration plate|license plate]] in several states. {{As of|2016}}, the following states offer the option of obtaining a Gadsden flag specialty license plate: [[Alabama]], [[Arizona]], [[Missouri]], [[Oklahoma]], [[South Carolina]], [[Texas]], and [[Virginia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.teaparty.org/seven-states-now-offer-dont-tread-license-plates-list-52858/|title=Seven States Now Offer ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ License Plates; Is Yours on the List? - Tea Party News|website=Tea Party|language=en-US|access-date=2016-04-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/08/25/states-where-you-can-get-a-dont-tread-on-me-license-plate/|title=States where you can get a ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ license plate|last=Schwarz|first=Hunter|date=2014-08-25|newspaper=The Washington Post|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|access-date=2016-04-21}}</ref> |
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| image1 = Gadsden_Flag,_Civic_Center_Plaza,_San_Francisco_(6000548743).jpg |
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===Tea Party Movement symbol=== |
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[[File:Sept 12, 2009 - Tea Party Tax Payer Protest, Washington DC.jpg|thumb|The flag at a [[Tea Party movement|Tea Party]] rally in September 2009.]] |
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Beginning in 2009 at Tea Party rallies, the Gadsden Flag has been adopted as a symbol of the American [[Tea Party movement]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/hartford_cty/gadsden-flag-denied-over-state-capitol |title=Gadsden flag denied over State Capitol |publisher=Wtnh.com Hartford CT|date=May 26, 2010 |accessdate=January 23, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aipnews.com/talk/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=14555&posts=3 |title=Gadsden Flag Now Officially "Offensive" In America |publisher=Aipnews.com |accessdate=August 2, 2010}}</ref><ref name="foxnews1"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/06/13/flag_daze/ |title=Flag daze |work=Boston Globe |date=June 13, 2010 |accessdate=August 2, 2010 |first=Tom |last=Scocca}}</ref> It was also displayed by members of Congress at Tea Party movement rallies.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS197716+16-Apr-2009+MW20090416|title=Gadsden Flags Flying Off the Shelves in Support of the Tea Party movement Tax Protest|accessdate=July 7, 2009|publisher=Market Wire|date=April 16, 2009}}</ref> Some lawmakers have called it a "political symbol" because of this association.<ref name="foxnews1">{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/28/connecticut-marines-fight-dont-trend-flag-display/ |title=Connecticut Marines Fight for 'Don't Tread on Me' Flag Display |publisher=Fox News Channel |date=April 7, 2010 |accessdate=August 2, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.necn.com/04/08/10/Tea-Party-flag-will-not-fly-at-Connectic/landing.html?blockID=212620&feedID=4215 |title=Tea Party movement flag will not fly at Connecticut Capitol |publisher=Necn.com |date=April 8, 2010 |accessdate=August 2, 2010}}</ref> |
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| caption1 = The Gadsden flag flying over the [[San Francisco]] Civic Center Plaza |
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In March 2013, a resident of [[New Rochelle, New York]] put up a Gadsden flag at the city's vacant armory building. The city ordered its removal, fearing that the flag would be seen as political. The next month, a veterans group, the United Veterans Memorial & Patriotic Association, filed suit against the city.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/04/22/flags-believed-ties-to-tea-party-leads-to-removal-from-new-rochelle-building/|title=Flag’s Believed Ties To Tea Party Lead To Removal From New Rochelle Building|accessdate=April 22, 2013|publisher=CBS 2 New York|date=April 22, 2013}}</ref> |
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| image2 = DC Capitol Storming IMG 7942.jpg |
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==In popular culture== |
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Athletic apparel company [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] uses the image of a rattlesnake coiled around a soccer ball for an ongoing, patriotic "Don't Tread on Me" campaign in support of the [[United States men's national soccer team]]. The phrase has become a rallying cry for American soccer fans and the Gadsden flag can occasionally be seen at national team games. A representation of the rattlesnake is contained on the inside of their uniforms, over the heart, with the initials "D.T.O.M.", which were used in the [[2010 World Cup]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-96316601417599_2105_1874656|title=USA Men's Soccer Kit}}</ref> |
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| caption2 = Gadsden flag flown in the area of demonstration during the [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|January 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol]]. |
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In [[Hideo Kojima]]'s videogame [[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]] a variation of the flag can be seen on one of the connecting bridges of the "Big Shell" facility, in a reference to both the original meaning and usage of the flag |
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}} |
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In the [[post-apocalyptic fiction|apocalyptic]] 2006 CBS TV drama ''[[Jericho (2006 TV series)|Jericho]]'', the flag makes several appearances, most notably in [[Patriots and Tyrants|the series finale]] as Jericho's acting mayor takes down the flag of the "Allied States of America", which had been flying at the town hall following a federal coup. He replaces the red, white, and blue flag of the central government with a Gadsden Flag which the previous mayor had kept framed in his office. The scene depicts a once-[[collaboration|collaborative]] character as finally having summoned the courage to be in open defiance against a supreme government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbs.com/primetime/jericho/video/ |title=Jericho Video – Jericho – Season 2: Episode 7: Patriots And Tyrants w/ Commentary |publisher=CBS |accessdate=May 30, 2011}}</ref> |
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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 United States Capitol attack|January 6, 2021, attack of the United States Capitol]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Rosenberg |first1=Matthew |last2=Tiefenthäler |first2=Ainara |date=2021-01-13 |title=Decoding the Far-Right-Symbols at the Capitol-Riot |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/video/extremist-signs-symbols-capitol-riot.html |access-date=2021-03-23 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US}}</ref>{{efn|Thirty-four-year-old Rosanne Boyland carried one when she collapsed from an [[amphetamine]] overdose and died in the Capitol.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Melendez |first1=Pilar |title=Capitol Rioter Rosanne Boyland died from Drug-Overdose, not trampling |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/capitol-rioter-rosanne-boyland-died-from-acute-amphetamine-intoxication |website=The Daily Beast |language=en |date=7 April 2021}}</ref><ref name="video">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/30/us/capitol-riot-boyland-qanon.html|url-access=subscription|title=Death of QAnon-Follower at Capitol leaves a Wake of Pain|date= 30 May 2021|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=1 June 2021}}</ref>}} |
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The heavy metal band [[Metallica]] recorded a song called "Don't Tread on Me" on their [[Metallica (album)|self-titled fifth studio album]], released in 1991. The album cover features a picture of a coiled rattlesnake almost exactly like the one found on the Gadsden Flag. The song's lyrics refer to political phrases from the [[American Revolutionary War]]. |
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===Use as a symbol of the Tea Party movement=== |
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[[311 (band)|311's]] eighth studio album, released in 2005, is titled ''[[Don't Tread on Me (album)|Don't Tread on Me]]''. |
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Beginning in 2009, the Gadsden flag was widely used as a protest symbol by protesters who supported the American [[Tea Party movement]].<ref>{{cite news | title = Gadsden flag denied over State Capitol | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110113131110/http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/hartford_cty/gadsden-flag-denied-over-state-capitol | archive-date = January 13, 2011 | url = http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/hartford_cty/gadsden-flag-denied-over-state-capitol | publisher = [[WTNH]] | location = New Haven, Connecticut | date = May 26, 2010 | access-date = January 23, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611075117/http://www.eastbayri.com/detail/136113.html|archive-date=June 11, 2010|url=http://www.eastbayri.com/detail/136113.html|title={{-'}}Tea Party' flag rankles some|publisher=[[East Bay Newspapers]]|first=Ted|last=Hayes|date=May 27, 2010|access-date=September 7, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| last = Macedo | first = Diane |title=Connecticut Marines Fight for 'Don't Tread on Me' Flag Display |url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/28/connecticut-marines-fight-dont-trend-flag-display/ |publisher=[[Fox News]] |date=April 7, 2010 |access-date=August 2, 2010}}</ref> It was also displayed by members of Congress at Tea Party rallies.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS197716+16-Apr-2009+MW20090416|title=Gadsden Flags Flying Off the Shelves in Support of the Tea Party Tax Protest|access-date=July 7, 2009|publisher=FlagandBanner.com|agency=[[Marketwire]]|date=April 16, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090814025505/https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS197716+16-Apr-2009+MW20090416|archive-date=August 14, 2009|via=Reuters}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.necn.com/news/new-england/_NECN__Tea_Party_Flag_Will_Not_Fly_at_Connecticut_Capitol_NECN-247451121.html|title=Tea Party flag will not fly at Connecticut Capitol|publisher=[[NECN]]|date=April 8, 2010|access-date=August 2, 2010}}</ref> |
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Country music singer [[Aaron Lewis]] has the phrase tattooed on his neck. His song "Country Boy", on his 2011 album, ''[[Town Line]]'', says that he has two flags flying above his house, the American flag and the Gadsden flag. |
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===Used in a terrorist act=== |
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[[Damn Yankees (band)|Damn Yankees]]' 1992 album, ''[[Don't Tread]]'', opens with the song "Don't Tread on Me".<ref>{{allmusic | title=Don't Tread | class=album | id=mw0000082538 | accessdate=May 18, 2016}}</ref> |
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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 citizen.<ref>{{Cite news|publisher=CBS News |title=Las Vegas shooting suspects left swastika, 'Don't tread on me' flag on dead officers|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/las-vegas-shooting-suspects-left-swastika-dont-tread-on-me-flag-on-dead-officers/}}</ref> The Millers reportedly placed the Gadsden Flag on the corpse of one of the officers they killed.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Two Cops, Three Others Killed in Las Vegas Shooting Spree|date=June 10, 2014 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/vegas-cop-killers/two-cops-three-others-killed-las-vegas-shooting-spree-n125766|access-date=2020-11-30|publisher=NBC News|language=en}}</ref> |
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===Legal cases involving the Gadsden flag=== |
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[[NASCAR]] driver [[Carl Edwards]] displays the Gadsden Flag next to his facsimile signature on his race car. |
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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<ref>{{cite news |url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/04/22/flags-believed-ties-to-tea-party-leads-to-removal-from-new-rochelle-building/ |title=Flag's Believed Ties To Tea Party Lead To Removal From New Rochelle Building |publisher=CBS 2 New York |date=April 22, 2013 |access-date=August 18, 2016}}</ref> 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.<ref name="newrochelle">{{cite news |url=https://www.lohud.com/story/news/politics/2014/12/24/new-rochelle-veterans-lose-gadsden-flag-case/20878639/ |title=New Rochelle veterans lose Gadsden flag case |publisher=The Journal News / Lohud |date=December 24, 2014 |access-date=January 8, 2021}}</ref> |
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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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eeoc.gov/wysk/what-you-should-know-about-eeoc-and-shelton-d-v-us-postal-service-gadsden-flag-case|title=What You Should Know about EEOC and Shelton D. v. U.S. Postal Service (Gadsden Flag case)|publisher=U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission|access-date=2021-01-10}}</ref> |
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In the popular television series ''[[The West Wing]]'', Deputy White House Communications Director [[Sam Seaborn]] has the Navy Jack flag on his office wall. |
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In 2023, a seventh grader at The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs was removed from school for wearing several patches that were "in violation of the school’s dress code policy" including a Gadsden flag patch.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-30 |title=Colorado Springs 12-year-old did not back down from wearing symbolic 'Don't Tread on Me' patch to school |url=https://www.koaa.com/news/covering-colorado/colorado-springs-mom-says-son-kicked-out-of-class-over-gadsden-flag-patch |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=KOAA News 5 |language=en}}</ref> After high-profile backlash against the decision, including criticism from Governor Jared Polis, the school reversed its decision.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clark |first=Jeffrey |date=2023-08-30 |title=12-year-old boy who got in trouble for wearing Gadsden flag patch wins victory over school: report |url=https://www.foxnews.com/media/12-year-old-boy-trouble-wearing-gadsden-flag-patch-wins-victory-school-report |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kenney |first=Andrew |title=Gov. Jared Polis defends Gadsden flag after student reportedly removed from Colorado Springs class |url=https://www.cpr.org/2023/08/29/gadsden-flag-vanguard-school-colorado-springspolis/ |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=Colorado Public Radio |date=August 29, 2023 |language=en}}</ref> |
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The [[WWE]] faction "The Real Americans" ([[Jack Swagger]], [[Antonio Cesaro]], and [[Zeb Colter]]) used the flag prominently. |
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===Rainbow version=== |
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The massively multiplayer online roleplaying game ''[[Guild Wars 2]]'' includes an achievement titled "Don't Tread On Me".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Seeds_of_Truth_(achievements)|title=Seeds of Truth (achievements)|publisher=}}</ref> as a part of the Seeds of Truth mission. |
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[[File:Rainbow Gadsden flag.svg|thumb|left|Rainbow Gadsden flag]] |
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Street Patrol, a 1990s [[queer]] self-defense group affiliated with [[Queer Nation#San Francisco|Queer Nation/San Francisco]], used as its logo a coiled snake over a [[Pink triangle#Symbol of homosexual liberation|triangle]] holding a ribbon with the motto "Don't Tread on Me".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Miles |first1=Sara |title=The Fabulous Fight Back |journal=Outlook |date=1 July 1992 |issue=17 |pages=57, 59 |oclc=17286887}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Collie |first1=Robert |title=Squad patrols Castro for gay-bashers |url=https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:638567 |access-date=10 February 2021 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=29 April 1991}}</ref> Some libertarian circles use a version of the flag with the snake and motto placed over a [[rainbow flag (LGBT)|rainbow flag]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Gadsden Flag (U.S.) |url=https://www.fotw.info/flags/us_gad.html |website=Flags of the World |access-date=10 February 2021}}</ref> Following the 2016 [[Orlando nightclub shooting]], posters containing a rainbow Gadsden flag inscribed with "#ShootBack" were placed around [[West Hollywood]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Branson-Potts |first1=Hailey |title=West Hollywood plastered with rainbow #ShootBack signs |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-weho-shootback-rainbow-20160616-snap-story.html |access-date=10 February 2021 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=16 June 2016}}</ref> |
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===Use outside the U.S.=== |
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The popular videogame "[[Assassin's Creed]] III" features the [[American Revolution]] as the basis of its story, and the Gadsden Flag appears on the sides of buildings and other structures inside the cities of Boston and New York. |
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The Gadsden flag has been used by supporters of Argentine right-libertarian president [[Javier Milei]].<ref name=argent>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/14/argentina-far-right-populist-javier-milei-shock-lead-primary-presidential-elections|title=Far-right outsider takes shock lead in Argentina primary election|website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date=August 14, 2023 |last1=Goñi |first1=Uki }}</ref> During Milei's inauguration, there were Gadsden flags flown<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-10 |title=Argentina's newly sworn-in President Milei warns of shock adjustment to economy |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/argentinas-newly-sworn-in-president-milei-warns-of-shock-adjustment-to-economy |access-date=2023-12-18 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us}}</ref> which is one of the first times the flag was flown with notability in a foreign inauguration.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sugarman |first=Jacob |date=2023-12-10 |title=The enmity and the ecstasy of Javier Milei's inauguration |url=https://buenosairesherald.com/politics/the-enmity-and-the-ecstasy-of-mileis-inauguration |access-date=2023-12-18 |website=Buenos Aires Herald |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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===Parodies=== |
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[[File:No Step On Snek (Gadsden Flag).svg|thumb|"No Step on Snek" parody flag]] |
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Parodies and pastiches of the Gadsden flag exist; one common design replaces the "Don't tread on me" motto with "No Step on [[wikt:snek#English|Snek]]", sometimes paired with a crudely drawn snake.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kim |first1=Eddie |title=The Beautiful, Insane World of 'Don't Tread on Me' Parody Flags |url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/dont-tread-on-me-flag-memes |website=[[MEL Magazine]] |access-date=10 February 2021 |date=30 September 2020}}</ref> |
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==Appearances in popular culture== |
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The Gadsden flag has made numerous appearances in popular culture, particularly in [[post-apocalyptic]] stories. |
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===In art=== |
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* [[The Freedom Train (graffiti)|The Freedom Train]], a graffiti artwork painted in 1976, incorporated the Gadsden flag in its design. |
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===In film and television=== |
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* In the 1982 film ''[[Tootsie]]'', the character of Jeff Slater ([[Bill Murray]]) is shown to have the Gadsden flag displayed in his bedroom. |
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* In the 1985 film ''[[Rocky IV]]'', the character of Paulie ([[Burt Young]]) wears a coat with the flag on the back while in Russia. |
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* 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. |
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*In the 1999 drama series "[[The West Wing]]", the character of Sam Seaborn ([[Rob Lowe]]) is shown to have the Gadsden flag displayed in this office. |
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* In the 2000 film ''[[The Patriot (2000 film)|The Patriot]]'', the flag is shown being flown by American troops during the [[Battle of Cowpens]]. |
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* In the 2006 [[CBS]] apocalyptic drama series ''[[Jericho (2006 TV series)|Jericho]]'', Gadsden flags are shown several times, most notably in [[Patriots and Tyrants|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbs.com/primetime/jericho/video/ |title=Jericho Video – Jericho – Season 2: Episode 7: Patriots And Tyrants w/ Commentary |publisher=CBS |access-date=August 18, 2016}}</ref> |
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*In the 2009 [[NBC]] mockumentary sitcom ''[[Parks and Recreation]]'', [[Ron Swanson]] ([[Nick Offerman]]) has a miniature Gadsden flag in his office.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-11-14|title=Parks And Rec: 10 Hidden Details About Ron Swanson's Office|url=https://screenrant.com/parks-rec-ron-swansons-office/|access-date=2021-08-08|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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* In the 2023 [[HBO]] apocalyptic drama series ''[[The Last of Us (TV series)|The Last of Us]]'', Bill (Nick Offerman) has a Gadsden flag in his house.<ref>{{cite web|title='The Last of Us' tells a new but familiar queer love story|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2023/01/29/last-of-us-bill-frank-episode-3/|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Riley|last=MacLeod|date=January 29, 2023|access-date=February 11, 2023|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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===In music=== |
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* American heavy metal band [[Metallica]] recorded a song called "[[Don't Tread on Me (Metallica song)|Don't Tread on Me]]" on their [[Metallica (album)|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.<ref>{{cite book|title=Metallica|series=[[33 1/3]]|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]]|author-first=David|author-last=Masciotra|page=65|year=2015|volume=108}}</ref> |
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* American country singer [[Granger Smith]] recorded a song called “Don’t Tread On Me,” which was featured on his 9th studio album “[[When The Good Guys Win]].” The song also featured his alter ego, [[Earl Dibbles Jr]]. |
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* American rapper [[:pl:Lil Darkie|Lil Darkie]] recorded a song called "DON'T TREAD ON ME", released in 2019, in regard to the [[Christchurch mosque shootings|New Zealand Mosque Shootings]]. The cover art depicts Lil Darkie's self drawn character as the rattlesnake on the Gadsden Flag. |
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==Notes== |
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{{reflist|group=note}} |
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{{notelist}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist |
{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{Wikipedia books|Flags of the United States}} |
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{{Commons category-inline|Gadsden flags|Gadsden flag}} |
{{Commons category-inline|Gadsden flags|Gadsden flag}} |
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* [http://www.claremont.org/publications/pubid.162/pub_detail.asp "A Flag of Conviction"], The Claremont Institute |
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[[Category:Activism flags]] |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gadsden Flag}} |
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[[Category:Historical flags]] |
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[[Category:Liberty symbols]] |
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[[Category:Tea Party movement]] |
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Latest revision as of 16:55, 26 November 2024
 | |
| 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 |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Libertarianism in the United States |
|---|
 |
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' 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]
Appearance and symbolism
[edit]Variations in appearance
[edit]Many variations of the Gadsden flag exist. The motto may or may not include an apostrophe in the word "Don't";[20]: 339 the typeface used for the motto may or may not use a serif typeface. The rattlesnake is sometimes 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. (September 2022) |
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 the British Parliament to send convicted criminals to Britain's North American colonies (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.[22]
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.[23]
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:[24]
[...] 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.
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]
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."[25] 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.[26][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 to serve as a physical symbol of the American Revolution's ideals.[27] 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.[28][29] 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][26] 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.[30][7]
By winter 1775, the South Carolina Provincial Congress expected that British forces would attack 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]
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."[31]
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.[32]
Modern use
[edit]
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,[33] Florida,[34][35] Kansas,[36] Maryland,[37] Missouri, Montana,[38] Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee,[39] Texas, and Virginia.[40][41]
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.[42] The flag's prominent yellow or gold color is also strongly associated with libertarianism.[43] 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.[44]
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.[45][46]
Following Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which struck down Roe v. Wade, abortion rights activists were seen at a Texas rally carrying a version of the flag with the snake in the shape of a human uterus.[47][48][49][50] This design was created by Anne Lesniak.[51]
Use by the right
[edit].jpg)
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, attack of the United States Capitol.[52][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.[55][56][57] It was also displayed by members of Congress at Tea Party rallies.[58] 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.[59]
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 citizen.[60] The Millers reportedly placed the Gadsden Flag on the corpse of one of the officers they killed.[61]
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[62] 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.[63]
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.[64]
In 2023, a seventh grader at The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs was removed from school for wearing several patches that were "in violation of the school’s dress code policy" including a Gadsden flag patch.[65] After high-profile backlash against the decision, including criticism from Governor Jared Polis, the school reversed its decision.[66][67]
Rainbow version
[edit]
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".[68][69] Some libertarian circles use a version of the flag with the snake and motto placed over a rainbow flag.[70] Following the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, posters containing a rainbow Gadsden flag inscribed with "#ShootBack" were placed around West Hollywood.[71]
Use outside the U.S.
[edit]The Gadsden flag has been used by supporters of Argentine right-libertarian president Javier Milei.[72] During Milei's inauguration, there were Gadsden flags flown[73] which is one of the first times the flag was flown with notability in a foreign inauguration.[74]
Parodies
[edit].svg)
Parodies and pastiches of the Gadsden flag exist; one common design replaces the "Don't tread on me" motto with "No Step on Snek", sometimes paired with a crudely drawn snake.[75]
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 1999 drama series "The West Wing", the character of Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) is shown to have the Gadsden flag displayed in this office.
- In the 2000 film The Patriot, the flag is shown being flown by American troops during the Battle of Cowpens.
- 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.[76]
- In the 2009 NBC mockumentary sitcom Parks and Recreation, Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) has a miniature Gadsden flag in his office.[77]
- In the 2023 HBO apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us, Bill (Nick Offerman) has a Gadsden flag in his house.[78]
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.[79]
- American country singer Granger Smith recorded a song called “Don’t Tread On Me,” which was featured on his 9th studio album “When The Good Guys Win.” The song also featured his alter ego, Earl Dibbles Jr.
- American rapper Lil Darkie recorded a song called "DON'T TREAD ON ME", released in 2019, in regard to the New Zealand Mosque Shootings. The cover art depicts Lil Darkie's self drawn character as the rattlesnake on the Gadsden Flag.
Notes
[edit]References
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- ^ "Argentina's newly sworn-in President Milei warns of shock adjustment to economy". PBS NewsHour. December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
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External links
[edit]
Media related to Gadsden flag at Wikimedia Commons
Categories:
- Activism flags
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- Flags displaying animals
- Flags of the American Revolution
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