Understanding a Political Cartoon – p. 294

What is a Political Cartoon? A political cartoon expresses an opinion about politics or government. Political cartoons are most often found in newspapers and magazines.

JOIN, or DIE by Benjamin Franklin

An American Political Cartoon Benjamin Franklin drew the cartoon JOIN, or DIE. It appeared in the Pennsylvania Gazette in He hoped his cartoon would make colonial leaders want to unite together.

What Does It Mean? The snake in the cartoon stands for most of the colonies. Each piece of the snake represents one of the colonies. Each colony is represented except Delaware and Georgia.

What Does It Mean? The saying Join or Die was based on an old tale about snakes. According to this story, a snake that was cut into pieces would come to life again if it was put back together before sunset.

Why Did He Draw the Cartoon? Benjamin Franklin wanted the pieces of the snake – the colonies – to come together to survive. In his cartoon, Benjamin Franklin used the snake as a symbol. Symbols are a good way to show ideas that are sometimes hard to draw in a picture.

Symbols Used in Political Cartoons The eagle is often used to represent the idea of freedom. The dove stands for the idea of peace. The hawk stands for war.