ENGLISH 1302 - POLITICAL AND VISUAL RHETORIC - BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Benjamin Franklin, "Join or Die" Pennsylvania Gazette (Philadelphia), May 9, 1754
Source: ht tp: // www . lo c. gov /ex h ib its /us .c ap ito l /s1 .ht ml
Symbols for a New Nation Symbols are history encoded in visual shorthand. Eighteen-century Euro-Americans invented or
adopted emblems -- images accompanied by a motto -- and personifications -- allegorical figures -- to express their
political needs. They used them as propaganda tools to draw together the country's diverse peoples (who spoke many
languages) in order to promote national political union, the best hope of securing liberty and equal justice for all.
Benjamin Franklin was responsible for suggesting the country's first emblem -- a native rattlesnake -- and its first
personification -- Hercules.
Both were readily understood by his contemporaries: the snake device conveyed the need for political solidarity among
the colonies, while the strength of the infant Hercules was likened to that of the mighty young nation. Subsequent devices
continued to symbolize national union, while personifications were generally composite figures that fused ideas of
Liberty, America, Wisdom, or Civil Government. The Capitol's early planners drew upon this small but expressive group of
accepted American symbols to convey to the public its actual and metaphorical roles. Symbols of Union Benjamin Franklin
consulted Baroque emblem books to find an appropriate symbol for the union of the colonies. A French source provided
the image of a cut snake with the motto that translated as "Join, or Die." An Italian iconography book stated that snakes
symbolized democracy, government by the people.
Probably owing to the snake's negative connotations, Franklin and others sought alternative symbols of union. These
included a circular chain of thirteen links and a Liberty Column supported by hands and arms that represented the states.
After the Revolution, national political union was embodied in the Great Seal of the United States. Several groups of
thirteen elements -- leaves on the olive branch, arrows clutched by the eagle, stars above its head, and a shield of stripes
on its breast -- referred to war, peace, and the American flag, itself the Revolution's principal symbol of union.
'JOIN, OR DIE' - THE POLITICAL CARTOON BY BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
BBC - Created Jul 24, 2003 | Updated Nov 17, 2006
Source: http :/ /w ww .h 2g 2. co m /a pp rov ed _ent r y/ A1 0 91 36 9
On 9 May, 1754, a cartoon was printed in the Philidelphia-based newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette. This cartoon is
believed to have been devised by the United States inventor and writer Benjamin Franklin. The Pennsylvania Gazette was
owned and run by Franklin, who tried to bring information on politics to his readers. This newspaper is widely considered
to be the first American publication to illustrate news stories with cartoons and this political cartoon is believed to be the
first of its kind in America.
The cartoon, dubbed 'Join, or Die' shows the early American Colonies as a snake cut into eight segments with each
segment labelled1 as one of the colonies. Below the illustration is a caption, reading 'Join, or Die'. The newspaper editorial
that accompanied the cartoon was written by Franklin and suggested that the colonies band together against a threat from
the French and Indians.
SOME BACKGROUND
In the middle 1700s, the British Colonies on the Atlantic coast began to become crowded. They looked towards the soilrich land beyond the Appalachian Mountains. The indigenous people who inhabited much of this land, Native Americans,
consequently felt threatened. The French, who also laid claim to the land, set up forts to guard it. In the 1754, the French
and Indian War began.
American and British troops fought Native American and French soldiers. However, at the beginning of the war, many of
the colonies were divided at the prospect of war. Franklin's cartoon urged them to unite against the Indian and French
pressure and fight against them.
SYMBOLISM
Although it's unclear why Franklin used a snake to illustrate his point, there are many good theories why he chose the
animal. For one thing, the colonies of 1754 had a very narrow shape, which fitted the form of a snake. It has been
suggested that the outside edge of the snake represents the Atlantic coast, but the snake in the cartoon twirls its tail and
twists in a way that the coastline does not.
The segments clearly represent the colonies, with each segment symbolizing a particular colony or region. The segments
appear in the relative order as they would appear on a map, with the right side of the cartoon being north. The rightmost
one is labelled 'NE' (New England), with the segments following it going left. They were labelled as 'NY' (New York ), 'NJ'
(New Jersey), 'P' (Pennsylvania), 'M' (Maryland), 'V' (Virginia), 'NC' (North Carolina) and 'SC' (South Carolina).
The division of these segments clearly shows the colonies were divided over the war. The caption implies that the colonies
should unite or be killed by the French and Indian attackers.
HISTORY
The cartoon was widely used as a header for newspapers in its time. Since copyright laws were basically non-existent the
cartoon was copied throughout many colonies. It was even more widely used during the American Revolutionary War
although this was not its intended purpose. The message of this cartoon works surprisingly well with the American
Revolutionary War, as the states were also divided on the issue. The major problem with using this cartoon during the
time of the Revolution, in 1776, was that the colonies had changed in the intervening time, so it was usually redrawn or
altered. In 1774, Paul Revere used the same design of the snake for the Massachusetts Spy newspaper, except that the
snake was fighting a British dragon. The cartoon again appeared during the American Civil War, with two versions of the
cartoon, one for the Union and one for the Confederacy. The Union cartoon, however, was devouring soldiers.
CONCLUSION
Benjamin Franklin's political cartoon was the first in America and one of the first of its kind. It had a large effect on
people's views of the French-Indian War and a larger effect on the American Revolutionary War. Never before had such a
cartoon made such an impact on America and even now 'Join, or Die' is possibly one of the most influential cartoons in
American history.