<P> JOIN , or DIE. is a political cartoon , attributed to Benjamin Franklin and first published in his Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9 , 1754 . The original publication by the Gazette is the earliest known pictorial representation of colonial union produced by a British colonist in America . It is a woodcut showing a snake cut into eighths , with each segment labeled with the initials of one of the American colonies or regions . New England was represented as one segment , rather than the four colonies it was at that time . Delaware was not listed separately as it was part of Pennsylvania . Georgia , however , was omitted completely . Thus , it has eight segments of a snake rather than the traditional 13 colonies . The two northernmost British American colonies at the time , Nova Scotia and Newfoundland , were not represented , nor were any British Caribbean possessions . The cartoon appeared along with Franklin 's editorial about the `` disunited state '' of the colonies , and helped make his point about the importance of colonial unity . It became a symbol of colonial freedom during the American Revolutionary War . </P>
<P> JOIN , or DIE. is a political cartoon , attributed to Benjamin Franklin and first published in his Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9 , 1754 . The original publication by the Gazette is the earliest known pictorial representation of colonial union produced by a British colonist in America . It is a woodcut showing a snake cut into eighths , with each segment labeled with the initials of one of the American colonies or regions . New England was represented as one segment , rather than the four colonies it was at that time . Delaware was not listed separately as it was part of Pennsylvania . Georgia , however , was omitted completely . Thus , it has eight segments of a snake rather than the traditional 13 colonies . The two northernmost British American colonies at the time , Nova Scotia and Newfoundland , were not represented , nor were any British Caribbean possessions . The cartoon appeared along with Franklin 's editorial about the `` disunited state '' of the colonies , and helped make his point about the importance of colonial unity . It became a symbol of colonial freedom during the American Revolutionary War . </P>
who drew a snake cartoon which represents unity and independence
who drew a snake cartoon which represents unity and independence
attributed to Benjamin Franklin
attributed to Benjamin Franklin