Don’t Tread on Me – What It Means Today

MD Creekmore – by Jesse Mathewson

Of the many slogans that have been socially adopted by some as a banner, and others as the new evil to kill, the line, “Don’t tread on me” is easily among the top ten over the past few years. To find out what it means today we need to look at where it came from, and why.  

It is a flag, as well as a slogan, and I hope to help you understand it better.

Rattlesnakes, in this case, the eastern diamondback and the timber rattlesnake, were both abundant in North America, and something not found in Great Britain. Benjamin Franklin made many references to rattlesnakes in his commentaries, published from 1751 onward.

In 1754 he published the woodcut of a snake cut into 8 sections with the message, “JOIN or DIE”. Fast forward 21 years and we were on the cusp of a civil war with England.

Contrary to what has been taught for decades in the United States, our war with England was, in fact, a rebellion. Christopher Gadsden designed the Gadsden flag in 1775, this is what we think of today when we hear the phrase, “Don’t tread on me”.

This was the year before the declaration of independence was signed. As a firm believer in the natural rights of man*, I choose to see the benefit of separating from the state of England.

Read the rest here: https://www.mdcreekmore.com/dont-tread-on-me-what-the-gadsden-flag-means-today/