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On this day in U.S. History: The first political cartoon published in the American colonies was created by Benjamin Franklin on May 9, 1754, when he published the famous “Join, or Die” cartoon in his Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper. Although Franklin originally created the cartoon to encourage colonial unity against the French during the French and Indian War, the image would later become one of the most recognizable symbols of colonial unity leading up to the American Revolution over two decades later.

By 1754, Benjamin Franklin had established himself as a successful printer and newspaper publisher in Philadelphia, became heavily involved in colonial politics, and emerged as a major colonial intellectual and stateman. During the year, he was primarily focused on colonial unity and the escalating tensions that led to the French and Indian War.

The French were aggressively expanding south from Canada into the Ohio Country where they were building forts to secure control of the region and key river systems. One major breaking point was their construction of Fort Duquesne at the forks of the Ohio River (present-day Pittsburgh). Colonial interests, especially Virginia land claims and western expansion efforts, were now being challenged.

Franklin believed the colonies lacked the unity necessary to respond effectively to the French threat because the colonial governments were divided and often acted independently.

To promote colonial unification, Franklin created a political cartoon and published it in his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette, on May 9, 1754. The cartoon showed a snake cut into segments, each labeled with a colony or region, alongside the phrase “Join, or Die.” The colonies represented were New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Georgia was omitted, likely because it was still a relatively small and young colony at the time.

The segmented snake was based on an old superstition that a severed snake could come back to life if the pieces were joined before sunset. Franklin was essentially arguing that the colonies needed to unite together for common defense or remain divided and vulnerable.

Franklin published the cartoon specifically on May 9 to serve as a public warning about the danger of colonial disunity and a political argument in favor of inter-colonial cooperation ahead of the Albany Congress in June.

The Albany Congress was a gathering of representatives from seven of the thirteen American colonies in Albany, New York. Franklin served as a Pennsylvania delegate at the Albany Congress. The congressional meeting had two main goals: to solidify an alliance with the Iroquois Confederacy and to coordinate a joint defense against French threats.

Albany Plan of Union, an attempt to create a unified colonial government so the American colonies could coordinate their defense, diplomacy, and western frontier policy during the French and Indian War. The colonies were facing growing military pressure from the French and their Indian allies, and Franklin believed the colonies were too divided and disorganized to respond effectively on their own. He wanted the colonies to act together instead of as separate governments constantly arguing or refusing cooperation.

The plan called for a colonial council with representatives from the colonies. The council would have a president-general appointed by the British Crown. The council would coordinate defense and military planning, centralize relationships with Indian tribes, and have the ability to raise funds for common defense.

The plan was adopted by the Congress on July 10 and immediately sent to the colonial assemblies, British officials in London, including the British Board of Trade and other imperial authorities, and the British Crown for approval.

However, the plan was ultimately rejected by both the colonial assemblies and the British. The colonial assemblies feared losing local power because they generally thought the plan centralized too much authority over taxation and defense. The British believed the plan gave the colonies too much ability to organize and act together independently.

Even though the plan failed, the Albany Plan became historically significant because it was one of the earliest serious proposals for colonial unity. Many historians view it as an early conceptual step toward the later union formed during the American Revolution and eventually the United States Constitution.

Franklin’s “Join, or Die” cartoon largely faded after its original 1754 publication during the early phase of the French and Indian War. But it was not created in vain.

“Join, or Die” resurfaced and evolved during the growing colonial resistance movement against Britain in the 1760s and 1770s. As tensions with Britain increased after measures like the Stamp Act and other imperial policies, colonial printers and American patriots revived the image as a broader symbol of American unity and resistance.

During the years leading up to the American Revolution, newspapers and political groups reused and modified the image. Versions of the segmented snake appeared in propaganda and pamphlets. The slogan shifted from unity against France to unity against British authority.

The “Join, or Die” image, originally created by Benjamin Franklin as the first symbol of American unity, became one of the earliest recognizable visual symbols of a shared American identity against tyranny. It also influenced later American symbolism, such as Revolutionary War political graphics, the “Don’t Tread on Me” snake imagery, and broader American snake symbolism tied to vigilance, resistance, and liberty.