“Don't Tread On Me” is a classic phrase which adorned the revolutionary fervor of Americans and their founding fathers, well known for its appearance on the Gadsden Flag. Consisting of a coiled rattlesnake and a bright yellow background with the statement written underneath, the flag was first adopted as the flag of the revolutionary navy and has southern roots. The snake, being a significant political symbol of unity due to the Albany Plan of Union, was additionally a symbol of nobility in South Carolina. Appropriately, he would attack only in self defense and was always deadly, gaining the admiration of Christopher Gadsden and a nod from the Continental Congress. Gadsden was a notable individual of the south then, and today an admiral of…show more content… Stanly Godbold and Robert H. Woody's biography of Christopher Gadsden explains his upbringing and significance in revolutionary American politics, admitting him to be a radical. Gadsden was born on February 26, 1724 in Charleston, South Carolina, to Thomas Gadsden and an indentured servant's daughter named Elizabeth. The cultural standards in the south at the time demanded that sons emulate their fathers, leaving Christopher to become a successful wealthy merchant long after his father's death with a comfortable life. Gadsden's early political education was reflective of what would soon become the arguments for revolution in the south: the tenets of the English Whigs and the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Coincidentally, The Fundamental Constitution of Carolina was co-written in 1669 by John Locke, who also heavily influenced the Whigs. Gadsden's anti-authoritarian identity, with the contributing ideas of liberty and autonomous government, had exploded during the French and Indian War. Despite assuming the title of an Englishman, Christopher was definitely not a gentleman; his attitudes and words were so consistently inflammatory and impassioned that modern political youths may cite him as a radical. His expressions were so brash and aggressive that one may find justification to name him a
