The image of a coiled rattlesnake and the phrase “Don’t tread on me” are instantly recognizable as one of America’s oldest and most iconic symbols. The snake-motto symbol is as synonymous with American liberty as the bald eagle and the Springfield rifle are. But the nearly 250-year-old emblem has also become so politicized that even some historical flag aficionados won’t fly it anymore.Learn more:https://ultimateflags.com/collections/gadsden-flags-don-t-tread-on-me-flags/

In 1775, when General George Washington established the Continental Navy to intercept British cargo ships loaded with supplies for his troops in the American Revolution, Charleston-born Continental Colonel Christopher Gadsden presented newly appointed Commander-in-Chief Esek Hopkins a yellow flag featuring a coiled rattlesnake above the words “Don’t Tread on Me.”

Don’t Tread on Me: Exploring Gadsden Flags

The phrase suggested that real harm would befall anyone who stepped upon the 13 colonies as a warning to Britain and other potential invaders. Gadsden’s design was among several others created by independence-minded colonists in the run-up to the war. But his flag was by far the coolest, according to author Marc Leepson.

Leepson describes how the Gadsden flag made a comeback in the 1970s among a burgeoning Libertarian movement that fashioned itself as modern-day Sons of Liberty. But the flag hit the mainstream in 2010, when the Tea Party movement embraced the Gadsden as its own and began lobbying for smaller government, lower taxes, and less regulation.

The resurgence of the Gadsden flag has not been without controversy, particularly as it has been adopted by right-wing groups that have turned the snake into an icon of racially-tinged hatred. In 2014, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reversed its decision to dismiss a discrimination complaint against a postal worker who wore a cap with a Gadsden flag on it in the workplace.