Ask Mike: Don’t Tread on Me
Hey Guys,
Anyone who saw Team USA’s last minute victory over Algeria in the World Cup was sure to notice the American fans, cheering like maniacs. More than a few had flags and hats, emblazoned with a coiled snake above the words, “Don’t Tread on Me.” I knew the flag was originally used during the Revolutionary War, but I didn’t know who came up with it and how it became an iconic image. Here’s the scoop…
The flag is called the Gadsden Flag and it was originally inspired by a drawing of Ben Franklin. According to Gadsden Flag History, in 1754, Dr. Franklin drew an image of snake cut into eight separate pieces. Each piece represented a part of the colonies. Under the snake were the words, “Join or Die.” Founding Fathers is quick to point out that this drawing had nothing to do with America’s coming war with the British. This was rather a “plea for unity in defending the colonies during the French and Indian War.”
But the snake didn’t disappear with the end of the French and Indian War. By the time 1775 rolled around and another war looked inevitable, the snake was everywhere: In newspapers, on buttons, and even on legal currency, according to Founding Fathers. But there was a big difference. The snake was no longer cut into pieces. Instead it was coiled, angry, and appeared ready to strike.
As for the famous phrase, “Don’t Tread on Me,” Gadsen Flag History writes, “We don’t know for certain where, when, or by whom the familiar coiled rattlesnake was first used.” However, the site does explain where the flag first “entered the history books.” Apparently, “some of the Marines that enlisted that month (October, 1775) in Philadelphia were carrying drums painted yellow, emblazoned with a fierce rattlesnake, coiled and ready to strike, with thirteen rattles, and sporting the motto ‘Don’t Tread on Me.’”
But if the flag was inspired by Ben Franklin, why is it called the Gadsden Flag? Gadsden Flag History writer Chris Whitten does a fine job of explaining. Colonel Christopher Gadsden presented the flag to Commodore Esek Hopkins, because, Gadsden “felt it was especially important for the commodore to have a distinctive personal standard.” More than 200 years later, it’s still all the rage. Eat your heart out, Betsy Ross.
Thanks for reading,
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Now how is this relevant in sports? Is it something to do with soccer played with your foot, and therefore related to “treading” somehow? Lol, I know sports fandom can be aggressive but it just don’t see how it fits there otherwise.
i agree nights lol wtf does this have to do with sports at all i mean exspeacially baout the soccer game against algeria lol
Great piece of knowledge shared there, Mike.
As for the comments:
It’s just a phrase representing the US, in the same fashion the US flag does. I doubt anyone takes breaks the phrase down to its literal meaning anymore.
Please stay in school joshuag…”exspeacially”
This has to do with sports because of Team USA’s sponsor. Nike has a logo for US soccer of a rattler curled around a soccer ball, with the words DON’T DREAD ON ME below it….
Thanks…great information!
Just want to add a little more on the flag. The current US Navy jack is an uncoiled rattlesnake with “Dont Tread On Me’ under it, and don’t is spelled with out the apostrophe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File%3ANaval_Jack_of_the_United_States.svg
Pretty neat, I suppose that’s where Metallica got their idea for the song? :p
I’d also like to add that the Emmy-winning HBO movie “John Adams” brought that stirring motto out of the hidden depths of history books and made many of us aware of that attitude from whence our country sprang!
For all the Americans that do not understand how this flag relates to US Soccer..here it goes. Soccer is the world’s game it is played in every corner of the globe and each country uses symbols, flags etc to represent themselves and who they are. The Gadsden flag represented us, the USA when we were the underdogs fighting for our freedom. Now again we are the underdogs playing the world’s game. I could care less if my country men don’t like soccer but support your country in the only sport that matters to the world. Great Game today USA!
How old is Mike? His questions and comments on YA are droll. YA needs to focus on reducing FAQs, reducing trolling questions, and stop deleting accounts which ask questions about abortion. YA is more concerned about getting onto search engines than properly running the site. Stuffing it with Mike crap doesn’t hide the garbage.
Interesting. History never fails to perplex us with little mysteries. :] Indeed I believe it symbolizes a strike from lower status, and the US has never failed to surprise us with some excellent soccer as of late.
What I DID notice prominently (though I wasn’t partisan in that match) is that the announcer wouldn’t be quiet about ”the USA’s hopes and dreams.” I don’t care if he was a world cup player for the US, he should take his chit chat somewhere else. A game isn’t interesting to watch if the people who are HIRED to play a disconnected role don’t stop creating non-sequiters at every occasion. They fail to keep in mind the dignity of the sport, and that, I think, is a shame. Really, they should relax, quiet down, and let people enjoy the match! There is a serious lack of competent professionals mediating these sports nowadays days, and it gets quite dissatisfying, and IMO detrimental to the thrill of the game.
Other than that, as usual, that was a thoroughly enjoyable game. Should be interesting to watch this cup of surprises unfold!
Love the information and I’m proud to own a Gadsden.
Agreed, David.
That was a glorious game to watch, really. The US got that goal in during the added time at the very end. Just, wow. Completely unexpected so late in the game.
the orginal Gadsden Flag said
DONT TREAD ON ME
The rattlesnake synbolized a power that wanted to be left alone, would warn before it took action, but was willing and able to react with deadly force if needed.
OK! Here’s the real reason this flags pertains to the United States soccer association. The flag represents both the American and the world view of American soccer. Soccer in the USA has always struggled for acceptance and recognition. Throughout the world, American soccer teams are seen as the underdogs and the team that shouldn’t pose much of a threat. Here in the USA soccer is seen as second best with many Americans still rejecting the ideas of the beautiful game. While steadily rising to popularity soccer still does not compete with basketball, football and baseball. The flag was adopted by American soccer sponsor Nike to symbolize that although we aren’t a powerhouse we still pose a threat and can be dangerous when provoked. The snakes lays in the grass unseen and unsuspected, when the foot comes to trample the snake strikes in retaliation. ‘Don’t tread on me” also symbolizes the American spirit. A country born of immigrants and people with nothing. Starting from the grassroots and rising high to meet and exceed expectations very much like a snake reaches long, and swiftly to take down its opponent. The flag was adopted years ago, even as USA competed in Germany 4years ago. Its time for everyone to wake up and recognize this sport is here to stay!
U.S. sucks!!! I hope they get eliminated fast!
an algerien asking u to grow up
and also asking youto tell us when the americans existed
in different way what would ya say about peoples who burnt usa flag u damn idiot
I found a very interesting article on the flag. It is called the Culpepper minutemen flag. It also, like the Gadsen flag, shows a coiled rattle snake with the words “Don’t tread on me” and also the words “Liberty or death”. It was a favorite of the minutemen. There is also a comment about the Navy Jack. It can be found at http://gen.culpepper.com/historical/flag.htm#Conviction
A bit like we Australians boxing kangaroo – an unofficial but much loved sporting battle flag.
There were some cute looking females in the USA audience. Sorry, what was this about?
jus want to know lil more about the flag
Shame on Americans that did not have that in US history class. We had that flag in 4th grade elementary school. Basic knownledge in the USA about Flags.
its obvious that americans neither watch soccer nor know their own history.
fans are wearing that outfit because the first game that americans played in this World Cup was against ENGLAND!
Your ancestors fought against English under that very flag, you morons. And now that England vs. US game is over, fans just decided to keep the flag… it kind fits…
Learn, know and respect your history, that’s patriotic. putting 50 meter long flags in every wal-mart is not..
For one of the comments below, i think many Americans in the stands were waving these flags as a sign of victory towards Algeria! The flag was originally used in the colonial times to represent pride and patriotism in war, and the flags in the stands were uniting the holder of the flag, to the soccer team, to our proud country. AMAZING JOB, AMERICA!
Actually, I am more interested in Colonial American History than I am soccer.
Actually the relevance is also in the USA World Cup 2010 uniforms. On the inside, on the back of the USA logo there is a DTOM patch with a rattlesnake. It is also on the inside back, near the top.
“In addition to the historic background, the authentic jersey also includes a number of unique modern elements. On the back of the jersey’s neck is a graphic that reads ‘USA’, while inside the neck is a graphic of a coiled rattlesnake. Inside the jersey, on the back of the gold-outlined U.S. Soccer crest over the heart, there is a similar coiled rattlesnake, accompanied by ‘DTOM’, which stands for ‘Don’t Tread on Me’, a rallying cry adopted by the most passionate U.S. supporters. “
And now it is the symbol of the American Tea Party looking to save America. What say you Amerca?
http://www.gadsden.info/history.html
For more info on the flag.
I’ve read that the Gadsden flag has the rattlesnake because a rattler always gives fair warning, never strikes first, but if it does then watch out. It was not only a symbol of unity during the revolution, but also a warning. Recently It’s become a symbol of discontent in the U.S. over taxes and the direction the country is going. You will see many of them at TEA parties and a Las Vegas firearms training facility recently ran a campaign where it’s subscribers mailed Gadsden Flags to their state representatives and to the White House to show their discontent. I didn’t see anyone wearing them during the game but I wasn’t watching too closely because of work. Interesting.
Thanks to charger for the nike explanation. I haven’t seen that and I was just attributing the popularity to the underdog feeling.