Gadsden flag

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The Gadsden flag

The Gadsden flag is a historical American flag from the time of the American Revolution , which shows a rattlesnake rearing itself up to bite on a yellow ground field . Below the snake image is the motto “DONT TREAD ON ME” (for example: “Don't step on me”). The flag was named after the American general and politician Christopher Gadsden , who also designed it. Since then, the flag has been symbolic of US patriotism, criticism of the government and support for US constitutional rights.

The snake symbol

A politically satirical depiction of the rattlesnake by Benjamin Franklin

The use of the rattlesnake as a symbol of British-American colonies can be traced back to the time of Benjamin Franklin . In 1751 he first mentioned the rattlesnake in a satirical commentary in his Pennsylvania Gazette . At the time, it was common for the British colonial masters to move many convicted prisoners from Britain to America. Franklin suggested in his comment that the British should be thanked by sending rattlesnakes to England in return .

As the American Revolution approached, the rattlesnake was increasingly made the symbol of the colonies. In 1774, Paul Revere , publisher of The Massachusetts Spy newspaper , added the snake to the front page. There she was shown fighting the "British Dragon". A year later, Benjamin Franklin declared the rattlesnake an outstanding symbol that embodied the “spirit of America”.

The Gadsden flag

In the fall of 1775, the United States Navy was established to intercept incoming British ships loaded with supplies for British forces in the colonies. Five companies of marine infantry were set up to support these measures . The first of these soldiers were from Philadelphia and carried yellow-colored drums with them depicting a coiled rattlesnake with thirteen tail rattles and the motto Don't tread on me . This is the first evidence of the symbols on the later Gadsden flag .

Colonel Christopher Gadsden represented his home state of South Carolina at the Second Continental Congress . He was one of three responsible members of the naval committee who planned this first naval operation. On Friday, February 9, 1776, Gadsden presented his yellow flag with the rattlesnake to the Provincial Congress of South Carolina . It is unclear whether Gadsden designed the symbols himself or was inspired by the yellow drums used by the Marines . Shortly before the deployment, Gadsden presented the newly appointed Commander in Chief of the Navy, Commodore Esek Hopkins , with the rattlesnake flag described above, which was to serve as his personal standard. Gadsden also later sent a copy of the flag to Charleston, South Carolina , where it was honored as the flag of the US Navy Commander in Chief.

Meaning of the flag

The first jack in the US Navy

The Gadsden flag was one of the first known flags of the United States , which became independent in 1776 , and was later replaced by the Stars and Stripes . It is a symbol of that American patriotism and identification mark.

The rattlesnake flag is still shown today in Charleston, South Carolina, where Christopher Gadsden officially presented it for the first time and where it was used alongside the blue and white "crescent moon flag " , the state flag, during the American Revolution .

The flag has been used in libertarian and anarcho-capitalist circles in the Republican Party and beyond since the 1970s . It also serves as a demarcation from social democratic liberalism and social democratic conservatives.

It was shown in particular after the September 11, 2001 attacks on Coast Guard and Customs boats and by members of the US Navy on duty abroad. Also, the first American naval jack , directly associated with the flag Gadsden is seen hoisted since the terrorist attacks on all active naval vessels.

Supporters of the tea party movement , which emerged in 2009, use the flag as a symbol against "big government", the powers of the government over the citizen and the size of the household, especially under the government of Barack Obama . Thereupon the flag got an association with this protest.

The flag and its motto also have a stateless, liberal and anti-socialist meaning outside of the USA.

It is also used by supporters of the US national soccer team.

Web links

Commons : Gadsden flag  - collection of images, videos and audio files