“Join, or Die” Question Sheet

Study the political cartoon published in the Pennsylvania Gazette during the Revolutionary period. Based on your knowledge of the events during the Revolutionary period and your own background knowledge, answer the following questions.

1. What does the snake appear to represent in the cartoon?

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

2. What do the letters on the parts of the snake represent?

S.C ______________________________ P. _______________________________

N.C. _____________________________ N.J. ______________________________

V _______________________________ N.Y. _____________________________

M. _______________________________ N.E. _____________________________

3. Do you think there are other abbreviations that could/should have been included? Why? Why do you think they are not in the cartoon as it was drawn?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

4. What does the caption of the cartoon mean in reference to a snake?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

5. Is the creator of this cartoon a patriot or loyalist? ____________________________________________

6. Who is the intended audience for this cartoon?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

7. What message is the author trying to convey to this audience? Explain your answer by including the meaning of the caption, your basic knowledge of snakes, and your knowledge of the events/issues that were occurring during the time of this political cartoon.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

[Return to the Drop-In directions page.]