Tea Party Flag

Tea Party Flag

The various tea party flags that use the image of the coiled, Timber Rattlesnake include the Gadsden Flag, the First Navy Jack Flag, and the Culpeper Flag. All three flags have roots dating back to America's Revolutionary War. However, the use of the rattlesnake as a symbol for the American Colonists fight against British authority goes back even further. Benjamin Franklin first used the rattlesnake as only Ben Franklin could, through the use of satire. When England sent its worst criminals to America, Franklin suggested the unkempt "Yankee-doodles" return the favor by sending boatloads of rattlesnakes back to London. In 1754, Franklin created a woodcut showing a rattlesnake separated into several pieces, each representing one of the 13 original Colonies. The words "Join or Die" were included and this was a clarion call for the Colonies to unite.

Tea Party Flag