"Join or Die" V-neck shirt

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Taken from the original illustration in Franklin’s The Pennsylvania Gazette, May 9, 1754. Originally, a warning to the colonies, urging them to unite against the French and Native American allies, and later used as an appeal to the states during the Revolutionary War. The rattlesnake segments are labeled, S.C., N.C., V., M., P., N.J., N.Y., and N.E. See additional information below.

The shirt: Printed on a super soft 4.2 ounce t-shirt from Next Level with a long, flattering cut with a deep V neckline.

Click on the "See size chart" button below to view the measurements before you select your size. Based on the feedback from buyers, one of whom characterized it as more of a "feminine fit," you might want to order a size larger than you would if you were ordering a standard men's/unisex shirt.

This design is also available in a crewneck shirt for men and women, long-sleeved shirt, sweatshirt, tank top for women, woven socks that are made in the USA, sticker, magnet, and an 8" x 10" framed print.


Historical background

This political cartoon (attributed to James Turner (silversmith) for Benjamin Franklin) originally appeared during the French and Indian War, but was recycled to encourage the American colonies to join the Albany Plan for Union. From The Pennsylvania gazette, May 9, 1754. Abbreviations used: Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and New England.

The practice of grouping the colonies east of New York (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut) together as "New England" has a history that goes back to the Dominion of New England, established in 1686 . . . Delaware was not listed separately because it was comprised of three counties that were part of Pennsylvania, and did not gain independence from Philadelphia until after the Declaration of Independence was asserted. Prior to formal separation from Pennsylvania, Delaware was properly referred to as the "Lower Counties on Delaware".

The Province of Georgia was not originally included by Franklin (let alone other British colonies in North America) but was later added and can be see at the tip of the tail. Georgia, the youngest of what would come to be referred to as the "Thirteen Original Colonies", had only been chartered in 1732 as a haven for those incarcerated in England's debtors prisons, and its population was sparse.

Source: Wikipedia

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