Join, or Die is a famous political cartoon; the picture was drawn by Benjamin Franklin and first published in his Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9, 1754. This original drawing that was published by the Gazette is the earliest recognized symbolic representation of the colonial unification produced by a British colonist in America. The cartoon above shows a snake dissected into eight pieces. Each piece is labeled with the name of one of the colonies. The position of each colony in the pictured snake relates to the geographical position of the colonies along the American coast, with the snakes tail pointing south and the head pointing north.
The colonies, from the bottom up to the top represent: South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and New England (New England denoted the colonies of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire). Even though there were four “New England” colonies, Franklin merged them into one category to stress the need for colonial harmony. At the time, the colonists aggressively deliberated migrating west of the Appalachian Mountains and fighting the French and their Indian allies.
The cartoon appeared along with Benjamin Franklin's editorial about the "disunited state" of the colonies, and helped …show more content…
During the French and Indian War, Franklin's "Join or Die" slogan was used as a battle cry, inspiring colonies to unite against the French. This was not the first or only instance where his slogan was used as a battle cry. In the years prior to the American Revolution, Franklin used the "Join or Die" logo to promote union with the British. Benjamin Franklin even suggested that the colonies could be joined with Great Britain in the original Acts of Union, which had united Scotland and England. Naturally, Franklin's slogan was brought out of the closet, this time to rally against the
The colonies, from the bottom up to the top represent: South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and New England (New England denoted the colonies of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire). Even though there were four “New England” colonies, Franklin merged them into one category to stress the need for colonial harmony. At the time, the colonists aggressively deliberated migrating west of the Appalachian Mountains and fighting the French and their Indian allies.
The cartoon appeared along with Benjamin Franklin's editorial about the "disunited state" of the colonies, and helped …show more content…
During the French and Indian War, Franklin's "Join or Die" slogan was used as a battle cry, inspiring colonies to unite against the French. This was not the first or only instance where his slogan was used as a battle cry. In the years prior to the American Revolution, Franklin used the "Join or Die" logo to promote union with the British. Benjamin Franklin even suggested that the colonies could be joined with Great Britain in the original Acts of Union, which had united Scotland and England. Naturally, Franklin's slogan was brought out of the closet, this time to rally against the