“Join or Die. Symbol of the Colonies,” published in the Pennsylvania Gazette

Generally recognized to be the creation of Benjamin Franklin’s versatile hand, this popular 18th-century political cartoon known by its caption, “Join or Die,” was originally intended to persuade the British government to support the American colonies against the French and their Native American allies. This issue of the Pennsylvania Gazette, a newspaper that Franklin owned from 1729 to 1748, featured the first printing of the frequently reproduced cartoon, alongside an editorial that Franklin wrote. The eight components of the snake signify New England (encompassing modern-day New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut) and seven other colonies, denoted by the initials printed alongside each section. Colonists revived the cartoon in 1765 to protest the Stamp Act imposed by Great Britain, and the design came to furnish an effective rallying cry for unity throughout the colonies in their fight against the British Empire.