Stephen

Stephen says he got this incredible tattoo on his honeymoon. Seriously. And it’s first tattoo.

That’s a hardcore liberty-lover.

He writes, “I’ve never had a tattoo, but I knew that I wanted one, and I didn’t want one that everyone else had … so, with the Gadsden imagery, I had an artist draw up a rattler with an M4, and since I’m a first generation American of Greek ancestry, decided to go with the Greek lettering above. The Molon Lave means ‘come and take it.’”

Mitchell

Mitchell, now serving in the US Army, got this colorful cobra after seeing this website.

“I think ‘Dont Tread on Me’ represents what this country was founded on and how all countries should be: if you respect us we will respect you, but if you don’t, it is cause for action.”

Here’s a new one! Check out the foot of Alexandra O. from Baton Rouge …

The foot of Alexandra.

Alexandra writes, “My sister-in-law is a tattoo artist and has been begging to do some ink on me. I’ve always turned her down because I couldn’t think of anything I would want on me for life. I am a staunch libertarian and a firm believer in everyone’s right to freedom and the pursuit of happiness. I saw a ‘don’t tread on me’ t-shirt and it just hit me. Don’t Tread on Me is something that will always have serious importance in my life, whether it applies to my individual life or my political belief system.”

That rocks.

Rich B. from North Jersey just had this incredible beauty, his first tattoo, done at Immortal Ink by Chris A.

“I am a passionate libertarian who believes in a limited and restrained government. Obviously it’s been a very long time since we have had a government like that.”

“I believe this government is at the size where many of our liberties now lay at risk, and I’ll be dammed if the gov thinks liberty loving people like myself are just going to roll over.”

Rich

Isn’t that snake intense?

Richard

Richard Garon is the state coordinator for the “Sons of Liberty” in New Hampshire.

“I can think of no greater symbol to show my open disdain for the direction these tyrants in Washington DC are taking us.”

“This beauty was done by Rocking Rick at his we’ll known ‘Tattoo Shack’ in Hooksett, NH. A great friend of liberty’s who encourages others in our ‘Live Free or Die’ state to show their support for the renewed symbol of the Resistance and to forever to show where their allegiance lies as I did.”

Andy from Florida is the proud owner of an interesting variation of a DTOM tattoo.

Andy

“You can say I am a patriot and feel that this image helps remind other Americans about the founding fathers’ intentions.”

Andy likes that people ask about it, and that gives him “a chance to tell the gadsden flag history to them.”

Scott, a special education teacher in Oklahoma City, has been wanting his “Don’t Tread on Me” tattoo for a while but was waiting for his favorite tattoo artist (Josh Reynolds) to become available. Scott says he put it on his calf “where I wear it proudly so everyone knows where I stand.”

“I believe the founding fathers had the right idea and gave us a plan on how to live free with liberty in this great nation. God bless the constitution and the United States of America.”

Brandon from La Vergne, Tennessee, had his tattoo done by a friend, Josh at Absolute Ink in Murfreesboro (who promises to add color sometime soon). To Brandon, “it stands for my willingness to fight for my freedom should the need so arise.”

Scott's calf on the left. Brandon's arm on the right.

Jason from Ohio is “super stoked” with his new tattoo. “I think it’s important for people to speak up, especially now with our current government spending away our future on handouts and bailouts and entitlements. I believe our country was built on the backs of people who worked hard for what they had and if they didn’t have something they didn’t place blame on our government and expect them to provide it. It seems Obama does not realize the simple fact that without failures, success is meaningless.”

Jason

John DeCillo got his tattoo from Bob Gray at Body by Design in Crestwood, Illinois. John is a Vietnam vet who wanted to, “physically show my support for the patriots banding together to stop this runaway train heading for total socialism.”

John

Daniel from Galesburg, Illinois, is a musician who is “anxious to wear my politics on my sleeve.” (I love that.) He says, “This is my tribute to the Founders, whose work I will study till my last breath, and to all the brave men and women who served, and died, to make this country great.” The tattoo was done by Hawk’s Tattoo in Galesburg.

Daniel

Thomas Reid from Sanford, Florida, and his wife “were inspired by recent events to get matching ‘Gadsden Tats’.”

Thomas's wife

Nikki from Michigan writes, “I took some inspiration from your site and from current and past events; to remember the fabric of liberty upon which we are woven. This tattoo represents my dedication to the principles of freedom and liberty that our country was founded upon. I wear it proudly to signify those principles under which I will live as long as I breathe.”

Nikki

Nikki says she loves this website. And we love Nikki.

Harrison's sticker. Short. Bold. To the point.

I asked Harrison if I could include his full name and location in this post, but he replied that doing so would be a security risk. He’s currently serving in Iraq with a Special Forces unit.

I also asked him what the symbol means to him. He says, “It’s a reminder to me. The way the United States was in the beginning. They way they HAD to be, and the way that we should be again …

“When I see it, I read ‘Don’t mess with me’ or ‘Don’t tread on me, mother f*cker.’

“Short. Bold. To the point. It summed up the United States in four words.”

Gadsden flag in Sanborn Coffee booklet

I’m always curious to see how the Gadsden flag is represented in vintage documents like this. Since there are no surviving examples of Gadsden flags from the Revolutionary era, only descriptions of them, illustrations from the 19th century and early 20th century may be closer to the original 18th century versions than what we use today. At the very least, these vintage representations give us insight into how “Don’t Tread on Me” symbolism was treated in different periods of American history.

Other flags in coffee booklet

In addition to the Gadsden flag page, the booklet also has this page that includes a very uncommon flag: the “Liberty or Death” standard of the White Plains cavalry. This flag features a blue liberty cap crossed with a sword. Beyond that, I know nothing about it. Does anyone out there know more?

1903 calendar featuring Gadsden flag

On the back of this page, the advertisement reads: “The Equitable Life Assurance Society has always meant defence — defence and protection for the family and home, for the helpless, for the widow, the orphan, and the aged. Every year millions of dollars are paid to widows and orphans on the death of the breadwinner … and this protection has — through the Equitable — been given by the union of hundreds of thousands of citizens for the purpose of protecting each other.”

Didn’t they know this is what the government is for?

GSR is a superfan of this movie. Superfan. He writes, “I could not guess how many times I saw Major Dundee in 1965. It was a box office bomb, the folks at the theater let me in for free until Major Dundee went away, which I’m sure they were thankful for. I could not turn away from the themes or the signature violence (Pekinpah). Recently been re-released, restored scenes, new musical score, playing on TCM, available on DVD.

“Regardless, this film sparked my interest in the Gadsden. Never have been able to find out if this particular Gadsden, [a] cavalry guidon, was real or an invention of 1965 Hollywood representing the diverse unit Major Dundee put together.”

GSR says this rattlesnake guidon is highly visible in many scenes of Major Dundee

Was a rattlesnake flag like this used by US cavalry in the post-Civil War era? I have no idea.

GSR speculates that Second Amendment champion Charlton Heston, star of the movie, might have had something to do with it.

Or maybe Peckinpah added the rattlesnake flag himself. He had a definite individualist/anti-authoritarian streak. He’s famous for his 1969 film “The Wild Bunch.” And he was a US Marine in World War II and a student of history.

Perhaps there is some historical basis for this. The crest of the 14th Cavalry Regiment has a coiled rattlesnake that’s very similar. On this crest it represents service on the Mexican border.

14th Cavalry Regiment Insignia

The rattlesnake is used in the same way on the insignia of various field artillery units, e.g. the 130th Field Artillery Regiment, 143rd Field Artillery Regiment, and 164th Field Artillery Battalion.

Since the movie is set on the Mexican border, maybe this is the historical connection. GSR and I will be anxious to hear if anybody out there has other ideas or insights. In the meantime, I’m putting “Major Dundee” on my Blockbuster queue.

I love it when people send me their Don’t Tread on Me rattlesnake tattoos. And I know you love to see them. (Or else you’d stop reading right here. It’s a simple system.) Here are the latest.

Jay

Jay sent me a picture of his tattoo the day he got it, July 25.

He wrote, “I am in the National Guard and after I got out of my initial entry training I decided I wanted a tattoo. To me the Gadsden Flag represents what our founding fathers meant for this country and The Constitution which I swore to protect against all enemies both foreign and domestic. (’This we’ll defend’ is the Army motto.) Those beliefs along with the direction in which I feel our nation is heading made me decide to show whose side I am on.”

Jay, we’re on your side.

Peter

Here’s another shiny new one. Peter from Houston, Texas, says he “got this tat on 7/25/09 at Magic Needle in Humble, TX.” Coincidentally, that’s the same day as Jay above.

“For the past 16 years I have worked in the oilfield industry, environmental cleanup specifically, so I work hard for the money that the government takes from me every two weeks. After the outcome of the last presidential election and seeing the direction that this government is going in is of great concern to me. The Gadsden flag represents to me standing up for what you believe in, taking pride in our nation, keeping big government in check, and protecting our individual rights as Americans.”

Well said, huh? I love this line: “I work hard for the money that the government takes from me every two weeks.”

Adam and his friend are joining

The story behind this duo is seriously implausible. Maybe somebody out there knows Adam and can vouch for him. But whether or not any of the following is embellished for dramatic effect, it’s still fun and the tattoos are super cool.

Adam F. in NY sent me a picture with just his arm.

“I got it because I found your website, and never knew that the Join or Die snake was the starting point for the Gadsden flag, and sadly, never knew that the American Revolution used snakes instead of stars and stripes. I was just amazed by it all, and thought Franklin’s essays about its symbolism was the cure for everything wrong with America’s role in the world.”

Then he includes a second picture, with two arms.

“The other arm is my friend Sasha, who I didn’t know had the same tattoo until I got it.”

Bill S.

Bill S. is “mad as hell with the direction our country seems to be going and I wanted a way to be easily identified so I can meet other like minded people. May God Bless America!”

I guess the idea of being easily identified as a potential “extremist” by the powers-that-be doesn’t scare him. Bravo.

Bill from Mass.

Bill from Massachusetts is a veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division and a “pissed off American.”

“This is my daily reminder to not let the extreme left socialist government destroy this country. Love your web site and heading to Washington 12 SEP 2009 for the National Tea Party Day.”

Tens of thousands of other freedom-loving Americans will be meeting him there.

And they look awesome. Check ‘em out …

DTOM rattlesnake decals on Shaun's bike.

Shaun says, “I have always liked what they represent. Especially what the ‘American Guesser’ wrote about the rattlesnake.

For the past two months I’ve been remiss in posting new tattoos and the submissions have been piling up. Here they are …

Matt

Matt from Ohio writes, “I finally picked the perfect image to represent the American spirit. ‘Don’t Tread on Me!’ That sums it up! We as the American people can no longer sit by and let our freedoms vanish! We must stand up and support the rights we have before they are gone forever! Now is the time! Support your beliefs! Remember that we are a free people that control the government! They work for us! They are our employees! We pay their huge income! We tell them what WE want! Remember that! Let’s take our country back!”

Philip

Philip is a military veteran. He did two years in the US Army and three and a half in the Air Force. He says, “I have always loved the Rattlesnake symbol and the don’t tread on me warning. I feel like it symbolizes the true spirit of America.”

Turner

Roger Turner from Ohio just got his first tattoo at the age of 47. He was inspired by the book Enemies Foreign and Domestic. He writes, “I always liked the Gadsden flag and after I read the book and [thought about] the way our country is headed, I figured why not. The Gadsden flag says it all.”

Mark

Mark Harnois of Detroit had his tattoo done at the 2009 Chicago Tattoo Convention. It was done by Jason, the artist-owner of Trigger Happy Tattoo in Dubuque, IA. The scripts is still to go. Mark is considering whether to use the New Hampshire state motto “Live Free or Die” or “Don’t Tread on Me.”

On the left: Jeremy. On the right: Andrew.

College student Jeremy Shepherd got this tattoo on his forearm. To him, “It’s a symbol of my American heritage, and it’s also a symbol to remind us to be willing to defend our freedom.”

Andrew Cairns says he “tried to incorporate the snake” into his bad ass inside-arm Don’t Tread on Me tattoo but couldn’t come up with a good idea. No matter. I think it rocks.Andrew writes, “I’m 25 years old and I’m currently serving the active duty US Air Force. I’m stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix, Arizona. The tattoo is a nod to the history of the country that I’m serving, but is also the title of one of my favorite 311 songs (I’m a huge fan of the band). My favorite lyric from the song: ‘nothing’s come easily, so don’t you tread on me, ’cause I will knock you down.’ I’m also a native of the city of Philadelphia, where most say the motto originated. I hope you like the design and I’d love to see it on your site some day.”