An Emblem of Magnanimity and True Courage

I would be willing to bet that most of you have seen this flag.

 

I would also be willing to bet that you don't know what it means.

This flag is very symbolic, and once a person knows the symbolism behind the flag, I would again be willing to bet they would be motivated to fly this flag alongside the Stars and Stripes. This flag is art in it's most inspiring form, and remember how much I love and am inspired by art? This flag is inspiring to me.  

So, today I am going to teach you what I know about the symbolism of this really cool flag, because I am all about educating people about the history of our country that touches me. 

This flag is called the Gadsden Flag, designed by an American General named Christopher Gadsden. Now, there is a lot of history and story behind the flag that I am not going to get into, because I am no history buff and no doubt I would get something wrong about the date or the war or the man and men behind this awesome flag. Instead, I simply want to tell you about what the snake means.

                                                                                                 

In December 1775, "An American Guesser" (we later believe to be Benjamin Franklin) anonymously wrote to the Pennsylvania Journal stating that he saw this flag on one of the drums belonging to the marines. He stated that each country has its own mascot and he believed this to be the mascot of the American country. He then speculated why he thought a snake would be a fitting mascot for this great country. He gave an awesome and fitting analysis.

Firstly, for those of you who don't know about the behavior of a rattle snake, they never begin an attack but once they do, they never surrender. They fight to the death. They never strike until they have generously given notice to their enemy and cautioned them against the danger of treading on it. Or, as The American Guesser put it: “She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage.”

Can you see the parallel to America? The rattle snake therefore becomes an “emblem of magnanimity and true courage” truly fitting for this great American country. Then comes the powerful and bold warning not to tread on this creature. Just as the early American Colonists warned Britain.

How beautiful is that?

There is more symbolism in the rattles. I'm sure most of you know that originally there were 13 American Colonies. Well, this just happens to be the number of rattles the average snake has. Also, it is symbolic of the loyalty and connectedness that those original colonies had for and towards each other. It is, as this American Guesser stated “curious and amazing to observe how distinct and independent of each other the rattles of this animal are, and yet how firmly they are united together, so as never to be separated but by breaking them to pieces. One of those rattles singly, is incapable of producing sound, but the ringing of thirteen together, is sufficient to alarm the boldest man living."

There is even more symbolism in this Join or Die flag that Benjamin himself designed that those of you fellow and faithful tea party activists have certainly seen:

It is more symbolism on the 13 colonies, with New England at the head and South Carolina at the tail and the rest following their order along the coast. I am sure there are more stories behind these 2 flags that are fascinating and inspiring, I am as I stated no expert and am unaware of every story or symbolism.

I am inspired by the courage, boldness, pride, and leadership that our founding fathers had. They knew the beauty in the concept of freedom and liberty. They fought hard. They were divinely inspired and divinely helped. They worked hard and sacrificed everything they had for what we have in front of us now. It took them being controlled in England to be able to appreciate what the idea of America could offer them. It scares me to death that the citizens of our country are unaware of the magnanimity of liberty and are literally falling asleep while those who yearn for control and dictatorship take serious advantage of our innocence, trust, and obliviousness. Let us awaken and take back what our founding fathers gave to us. Because as I see it now, we are having our liberties stripped from us, our freedoms pried from our no longer grasping fingers and we are about to have the rug ripped right out from under us. Will that wake us up I wonder? It is time we once again lived up to our symbol of the rattle snake. It is time we once again stand up and become again an emblem of magnanimity and true courage.