Editing Serpent symbolism (section)

===American Revolution===
In 1754 and again during the [[American Revolution]], [[Benjamin Franklin]] published the '''''[[Join, or Die]].''''' cartoon in ''[[The Pennsylvania Gazette]]'' to give a message of colonial unity.  The cartoon shows a snake in eight pieces, each representing one or more of the Thirteen Colonies.<ref>{{cite news|title=Join, or Die|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1607106/join_or_die/|access-date=January 19, 2014|work=Pennsylvania Gazette|date=May 9, 1754|location=Philadelphia|page=2|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Margolin |first1=Victor |title=Rebellion, Reform, and Revolution: American Graphic Design for Social Change |journal=Design Issues |date=1988 |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=59–70 |doi=10.2307/1511561|jstor=1511561 }}</ref>   It was based on a superstition that if a snake was cut in pieces and the pieces were put together before sunset, the snake would return to life.

Following the publication of "Join, or Die", the rattlesnake became a symbol of the Thirteen Colonies.  Franklin and other colonists considered the rattlesnake to represent independence and vigilance.  Several flags of the American Revolution depict rattlesnakes.  Two of the more notable flags with the rattlesnake imagery are the [[Gadsden flag]] and the [[First Navy Jack]].  The United States War Office, and its successor organizations the Department of War and Department of the Army, contain a rattlesnake in their emblems.  

<gallery>
File: Benjamin Franklin - Join or Die.jpg|''Join, or Die.'' a 1754 political cartoon by [[Benjamin Franklin]]
Image:Gadsden flag.svg|A rattlesnake appears on the [[Gadsden flag]]
File:Naval jack of the United States (2002–2019).svg|A rattlesnake appears on the [[First Navy Jack]] of the United States
Image:Seal of the US Department of the Army.svg|The [[Department of the Army]] Emblem contains a rattlesnake with the motto "this we'll defend"

</gallery>