Imagine opening a newspaper and seeing a snake cut into eight pieces. That is what people saw on May 9, 1754, when Benjamin Franklin published his famous cartoon in the Pennsylvania Gazette. The drawing showed a snake divided into segments. Each segment was labeled with the name or initials of a British colony, such as N.E. for New England and N.Y. for New York. Below the snake were the words "Join, or Die." Franklin created this cartoon because he wanted the colonies to unite against a common threat. At the time, France and its Native American allies were expanding into territory the British colonies claimed. Franklin believed the colonies needed to work together for their own defense. Alone, each colony was weak. Together, they would be strong -- just like the pieces of a snake that can only survive when connected. The cartoon was the first political cartoon published in an American newspaper. It spread quickly from colony to colony. Over twenty years later, during the American Revolution, colonists brought the image back. They used the same snake design on flags, newspapers, and drums to rally support for independence from Britain.