A colonial emblem
Rattlesnakes appeared in political prints before the yellow flag entered the documented record.
By 1775, the rattlesnake had moved well beyond the newspaper page. Variations appeared on military objects, currency, banners, and flags across the colonies.
As the emblem spread, its visual form changed. Earlier divided-snake imagery gave way to a whole rattlesnake, often represented as the species associated with North America. The now-familiar coiled pose and warning developed within this active culture of adaptation.
There is no conclusive surviving record identifying the first person, place, or exact date responsible for combining a coiled rattlesnake with “Don’t Tread on Me.” The documentary trail becomes clearer during the military preparations of late 1775.
Boston, shortages, and a naval plan
In the autumn of 1775, British forces remained in Boston while the Continental Army operated from the surrounding area. American troops faced severe shortages of arms and ammunition after the opening battles of the conflict.
That October, the merchant vessel Black Prince returned to Philadelphia from England carrying private correspondence for the Second Continental Congress. The information described British ships transporting military supplies to forces in America.
Congress responded by authorizing vessels intended to intercept British supply traffic. The Black Prince was acquired, converted for military service, and renamed Alfred. It became part of the first small Continental naval force.
Marines and the yellow drums
Congress also authorized marine companies to serve with the new vessels. Contemporary descriptions associate some marines recruited in Philadelphia with yellow drums bearing a coiled rattlesnake, thirteen rattles, and the warning “Don’t Tread on Me.”
This evidence does not settle every question about the flag’s design, but it demonstrates that the essential combination of color, animal, posture, and warning was in circulation during the formation of American naval and marine forces.
A note on evidence: Early emblems were not standardized like modern flags. Descriptions of drums, banners, and printed devices may preserve related designs rather than one fixed master pattern.
An American Guesser
In December 1775, an anonymous contributor using the name “An American Guesser” wrote to the Pennsylvania Journal after observing the rattlesnake device on a marine drum. The writer considered why the animal might serve as an emblem for America.
The essay emphasized qualities then attributed to the rattlesnake: alertness, restraint before attack, a clear warning when threatened, and determination once engaged. It also interpreted the thirteen rattles as a representation of the thirteen colonies—distinct parts capable of producing a stronger warning when united.
The argument helped give readers a coherent political interpretation of an image already appearing in public. Rather than presenting aggression for its own sake, it framed the snake as watchful and defensive.
Was the writer Benjamin Franklin?
The author’s identity was not stated in the newspaper. The essay has often been attributed to Benjamin Franklin because its reasoning and style align with his earlier use of rattlesnake imagery, but that attribution should be understood as a scholarly conclusion rather than an explicit signature on the article.
Franklin had used snake symbolism in colonial political communication before the Revolution and later expressed reservations about the eagle as a national emblem. Those connections help explain why his name remains closely associated with the anonymous essay.
