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“Don’t Tread on Me”
You’ve seen the flag…you know what I’m talking about.
The Historical Aspect of the Gadsden Flag
The Gadsden flag is actually one of the earliest symbols of America. The first reference to the flag that I can find was when a flag with a “coiled rattlesnake with 13 rattles depicting the 13 colonies of America” and the iconic “DONT TREAD ON ME” motto underneath was used on drums carried by some of the very first United States Marines after their enlistment in Philadelphia in late 1775. From there, it was (maybe) flown at the mainmast of the then newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Navy’s flagship. It was gifted to Commodore Esek Hopkins, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy at that time, by Continental Colonel Christopher Gadsden, which is where the flag gets its name. There is some doubt now however whether or not the flag was ever actually flown during the Revolution.The Gadsden Flag Today
That doesn’t necessarily matter though. Today, the Gadsden flag has found supporters in several areas as a symbol of patriotism, American pride, disagreement with a tyrannical government, and the support of civil liberties, particularly gun ownership in our current political climate.
9 Leave a Reply
Thank you for the dont tread on me article ...much appreciation sir ...
Thanks for the info. That King of the Hill flag is hilarious! My favorite episode!
We flew this on my ship during deployments. USS Lake Erie CG-70.
Please let responsible patriotic Americas reclaim the and other Revolutionary War symbols back from the White Nationalist movement.
It has always been a symbol of civil liberties and patriotism. It just so happens that the primary people who actually still value these things are conservative white men.
Yeah, so the MLS (Major League Soccer) reference comes from the Philadelphia Union which used a variation of the snake, but cut into 13 pieces (for the 13 original colonies) with the motto 'Join or Die.' This image appeared in Benjamin Franklin's The Pennsylvania Gazette just prior to the Revolutionary War.
Please feel free to fact check.
You are absolutely correct, but the original woodcut snake, by Franklin, was only cut into eight pieces, from what I have read. Pertaining to the article, this was in 1754.
Whatever, my front tag has the Gadsden flag on it.
Molon Labbe!
the narrative I enjoyed the narrative it was very enlightening. Thank you Matthew you did a good job.
Thank you very much for the quick lesson.