Benjamin Franklin, owner and editor of the Philadelphia Gazette, created and printed the "Join, Or Die" political cartoon in his newspaper in 1754. The severed rattlesnake represented to British American Colonies. The words, "Join or Die" were aimed at rallying the colonists to back the British against the French in their defense early in the French and Indian War .
Twelve years later, in 1766, as the clouds of the American Revolution gathered, Ben Franklin published the image again. However, this time as a rally cry for the American colonists to pull together against the British. Franklin hoped the striking image and the inflammatory words would unite what he called, "The Disunited States".
The cartoon was reprinted in newspapers throughout the Colonies, and this time, Franklin's point was clearly understood. It would become a rallying cry, as all 13 Colonies came together for the long, bloody and victorious struggles of the American Revolution.
Ameer Sadik
ReplyDeleteThe message Benjamin Franklin was trying to convey was to aim back at rallying the colonist to back the British against the french in their defense early in the French and Indian war. In other words it means you join the British army or you can die.
Shomansur Shoumarov
ReplyDeleteBenjamin Franklin's political cartoon is trying to convey that the message "Join or Die" were aimed at rallying the colonist to back the British against the French in their early defense early in the French and Indian War. In other words i'm trying to say that if people will join the British and fight together they will be really powerful and if they don't they are going to die because they will be weak.