Join, or Die

Join, or Die is a 1754 political cartoon attributed to Benjamin Franklin in his newspaper Pennsylvania Gazette that depicts a snake split into eight parts, each part labelled with the initials of one of the eight depicted colonies. The words "Join, or Die" fill the bottom section of the cartoon.

Join, or Die is a widely recognized symbol used to signify unity between the colonies. The signifier, an intimidating snake, communicates a sense of strength, posing a danger to any that might challenge it. However, the snake is fractured into eight parts, losing its strength and intimidation entirely. The only way to restore the snake to its former glory is to unite the segments. This is the signified. Franklin is communicating the necessity for the colonies to unite against the enemy.

In 1754, during the Seven Years’ War, the colonies were threatened by an outside force, at the time the French and the Native Americans. The only way for the colonies to win would be to unite strengths. This was a major message at the time, as the colonies were quite separate in issue and communication, operating as distinct units instead of one united force, and was reused during the Revolutionary War for the same message but against the British threat.

The snake is now seen in political context as reactionary to an outside threat. The Gadsden Flag depicts a snake rearing in defense with the caption “Don’t Tread On Me” across the bottom. The snake was originally used to depict the colonies’ strength against oppression from the British Government. It communicated the message that the snake lies dormant unless stepped on, which causes it to have a defensive, threatening stance, ready to bite the culprit. This flag has since been used to communicate the same message with a different hostility, this time being the American government, but to a more controversial extent. In short, the snake is used as a symbol of reaction to an outside threat with a defensive, rather than offensive, nature.

With this snake symbol gaining traction in the mid 1700’s, it was a perfect symbol to communicate the strength and danger that the colonies pose, but only to those that choose to slight them. Not only was this effective at conveying the message that the colonies were dangerous and not to be taken lightly, but it also communicated to the colonies’ population that the effort against the French and Indians was completely justified as it was in defense. This helped it gain support because it sent two messages, one being that the colonies are not committing any immoral acts of hostility, and two being that the livelihood of the colonies are threatened, necessitating defense.

The snake signifier is effective at communicating the nature and urgency of defense and strength, but separating it into pieces pushes the message that the colonies must unite to regain the strength to be able to defend. Franklin clearly labels each section with the initials of a colony, although some are omitted or combined into one part, to give significance to each part. This communicates that each part is completely necessary, and is a decent call to action for the colonies, as their names are blatantly labeled. If a colony decided against uniting, they would fracture the snake and be clearly labeled as the odd one out, giving a sense of shame. To drive home the message of unity, “JOIN, or DIE” covers the bottom. The snake would not survive if all colonies did not join together.

Join, or Die became one of the most effective and influential American political cartoons, used as a sort of propaganda. By conveying a message of urgency and defense, it was able to unite all colonies together against the outside threats of the Seven Years’ War, and two decades later, the Revolutionary War. Due to the strong symbolism with a message hard to disagree with, it influenced many political cartoons to come.