What did Benjamin Franklin say about the rattlesnake?

In the December 27, 1775 edition of The Pennsylvania Journal, Benjamin Franklin wrote about why he believed the rattlesnake was the ideal image for the colonies: “[The rattle-snake’s] eye excelled in brightness, that of any other animal, and that she has no eye-lids.

Why was the rattlesnake a symbol of the American Revolution?

Both before and during the American Revolution, the nascent United States searched for appropriate symbols to represent a unified and unique country. Benjamin Franklin utilized the figure of the rattlesnake to first symbolize dissatisfaction with Great Britain, and later as a relevant symbol for the country overall.

What did Benjamin Franklin want the national bird to be instead of the eagle?

turkey
There’s a story that Benjamin Franklin thought the turkey should be the national bird instead of the eagle. In a 1784 letter addressed to Sarah, his daughter, Franklin wrote: “For my own part I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country.

Who chose the eagle to represent America?

Its imagery was finalized by Secretary of Congress Charles Thomson from design suggestions by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin — plus contributions from two other committees and from Thomson, who chose the American Bald Eagle as the centerpiece of the Great Seal.

What did Ben Franklin say about the Gadsden flag?

In December “An American Guesser” (really Benjamin Franklin) anonymously wrote to the Pennsylvania Journal: “I observed on one of the drums belonging to the marines now raising, there was painted a Rattle-Snake, with this modest motto under it, ‘Don’t tread on me.

What does the American rattlesnake cartoon say?

The rattlesnake is a metaphor for what style of fighting used by the Americans? Rattlesnake’s mouth caption: “Two British Armies I have thus Burgoyn’d, And room for more I’ve got behind.” Rattlesnake’s tail caption:“An Apartment to Lett for Military Gentlemen.”

What does the snake represent in America?

History of rattlesnake symbol in America Like the bald eagle, part of its significance is that it was unique to the Americas, serving as a means of showing a separate identity from the Old World. Its use as a symbol of the American colonies can be traced back to the publications of Benjamin Franklin.

What does the snake represent US history?

The Cartoon is Adopted for the Revolutionary War A decade after it originally was published, colonists protesting Great Britain’s enacting of the Stamp Act resurrected the severed snake as a symbol of their desire to unify in opposition to unfair taxation.

What symbolizes Benjamin Franklin?

The story that Franklin proposed the turkey as the national symbol began to circulate in American newspapers around the time of the country’s centennial and are based on a January 26, 1784, letter in which he panned the eagle and extolled the virtues of the gobbler to his daughter, Sarah.

What does the American eagle symbol represent?

The Founding Fathers made an appropriate choice when they selected the bald eagle as the emblem of the nation. The fierce beauty and proud independence of this great bird aptly symbolizes the strength and freedom of America.

Why is eagle the symbol of America?

The bald eagle was chosen June 20, 1782 as the emblem of the United States of America, because of its long life, great strength and majestic looks, and also because it was then believed to exist only on this continent. The eagle represents freedom. …