Benjamin Franklin published “Join, or Die”—now considered to be the most famous colonial political cartoon—on May 9, 1754. It appeared in “The Disunited State,” an editorial in his Pennsylvania Gazette, which was the most successful newspaper in the colonies at that time. The symbolism of the cartoon’s fragmented snake is significant, and the message is simple: If we do not unite, we shall die at the hands of our nemesis. It was such a powerful message that it was used again during the American Revolution, and in other wars and crises that were to come later in America. Let’s review the significant events that led up to the publication of this most famous political cartoon. In 1669, French explorer Sieur de La Salle discovered the Ohio River. During the 1700s, the Ohio River Valley (present day Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky) had bountiful hunting grounds, a flourishing fur …