Message from the Author of this Website:

Featured above is a rendition of Benjamin Franklin's "Join, or Die" editorial cartoon (see below for attribution). Franklin was critiquing the colonial disunity prior to the breakout of the French and Indian War and arguing for colonial unity to defend against the increasingly aggressive French and their various Native American allies. Franklin's argument is simple: The colonies must unite in order to defeat the French, or we will die. The use of the comma shows the weight Franklin wants viewers and readers to reflect on the word "Join."

"Join, or Die" is arguably one of the most famous editorial cartoons in US History, if not the world. It marked a turning point in US History by symbolizing whether the colonies would unite and defend the British American colonies. Spoiler alert: the colonies did unite, which allowed the British to win the global Seven Years' War. This victory, though, would lead to the attempted taxation and stifling of colonial entrepreneurial trading interests."Taxation without representation" protests would turn into boycotts, and eventually into armed conflict, resulting in the first major overthrow of a monarchy by one of its colonies. The United States was now its own ruling entity. Did "Join, or Die," a simple cartoon, play a role in the US's independence?

These are the complex questions that arise from reading or viewing primary sources, let alone editorial cartoons. Something as powerful as the image of a broken serpent could lead to colonial unification and the overthrow of a powerful monarchy. It is my hope this collection of editorial cartoons and accompanying information on editorial cartoons provide the viewer with various lenses into the complex history of the United States.