AOW #21

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This political cartoon was created by Benjamin Franklin during the American Revolution.  It was a call for the American colonies to unite in an effort to defeat Great Britain.  Franklin communicated his message through the symbolic image of a snake divided into eight pieces.  Below the snake were the words in caps, "JOIN, or DIE."  This physically represented the idea that if colonies did not come together, they would perish under the British regime.  It also suggested the idea that all the pieces, or colonies, were needed in order for America to stand a chance.   Another interesting and effective memory that Ben Franklin pulled from was a common superstition that was held during that time: if the parts of a snake were put back together before sunset, the snake would come back to life.

The context of the cartoon was the approaching American Revolution.  Britain had limited the rights of its American colonies, angering many colonists.  Policies such as the various tax acts made colonists want to separate from Britain.  However, there was no single government that the colonies had; therefore, cooperation was difficult.

The purpose of the cartoon was obviously to unite the colonies.  Benjamin Franklin knew the importance of union in order to defeat Britain, which is why he would present his Albany Plan that same year.  While the colonies never were united in the way in which some would have hoped, it was enough to keep Americans from working against one another.