Don’t Tread on Me

by Ros Poplar

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gadsden-flag 

The ”Don’t Tread on Me” flag properly known as the Gadsden flag or the Hopkins flag traces its roots to Commodore Esek Hopkins, the United States’ first naval commander in chief, as his personal ensign during the American Revolution. The flag features a coiled rattlesnake above the words “Don’t Tread on Me” on a yellow background. 

The rattlesnake symbol originated in the 1754 political cartoon “Join or Die” published in Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette. The cartoon, which depicted the colonies divided as segments of a cut-up snake, exhorted the colonists to unite in the face of the French and Indian War. The symbol was later used to represent unity during the Revolutionary War. 

Esek Hopkins was subsequently appointed as Commodore of the Continental Congress’s naval forces, and his ship, the USS Alfred, hoisted a flag that combined the rattlesnake and the “Don’t Tread on Me” motto. The “elegant standard” was presented in February 1776 to the Provincial Congress of South Carolina by Christopher Gadsden, a delegate to the Continental Congress who was  placed in command of South Carolina’s military forces. 

The flag has been described as the most recognizable symbol of the American Revolution in our fight to gain independence form Great Britan. Its design proclaims an assertive warning of vigilance and willingness to act in defense against coercion. Thus its association with the ideas of American individualism and liberty. 

At some point after the Revolutionary war a variation (a field of red and white alternating stripes vice a yellow background) of the flag was adopted by the United States Navy and was flown from the forecastle of the oldest naval vessel in commissioned service. I had the honor of commanding one of those ships, the USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20) and proudly display the flag that was presented to me by the crew upon my departure. 

In contemporary times the flag has been used in the United States as a symbol for distrust or defiance an authoritarian government. I will not pass judgement on this but like it or not, one of the outcomes of the American Revolution was the adoption of the First Amendment to the Constitution which guarantees freedom of speech for those who display the flag. 

This flag is a symbol of heritage, and I will fly my flag with pride knowing that it represents our collective American experience. The negativity that others to affix to this symbol of American exceptionalism is due to their lack of knowledge of our founding. Yes, my fellow Americans, “Don’t Tread on Me!”

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