Gadsden Flag Variations: Every Version Explained

No single official Gadsden flag exists. Since Christopher Gadsden presented his yellow rattlesnake standard in February 1776, the design has been redrawn many times, and related rattlesnake flags flew alongside it during the Revolution. This guide covers the main variations, from small design details to modern spin-offs, and what each one means.

New to the flag? Start with our Gadsden flag history.

The Baseline Design

The earliest description is in the South Carolina Provincial Congress journal of February 9, 1776, as quoted by the U.S. Navy’s Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC): “a yellow field, with a lively representation of a rattle-snake in the middle, in the attitude of going to strike, and these words underneath, ‘DON’T TREAD ON ME!’” Everything else, including the grass, the lettering, and which way the snake faces, has varied over time.

Design Details That Vary

With or Without the Apostrophe

Many flags read “DONT TREAD ON ME,” while others use “DON’T.” Wikipedia notes that 18th-century writers often left the apostrophe out of contractions, which is why the apostrophe-free version is seen as the classic style. Both are common today. For more, see what “Don’t Tread On Me” means.

Serif or Sans-Serif Lettering

According to Wikipedia, the motto’s typeface “may or may not feature serifs.” Serif lettering tends to look more traditional, while bold sans-serif lettering is common on modern printed flags.

Grass or No Grass

Many modern flags show the snake coiled on a patch of green grass. Wikipedia notes that depictions from 1885 and 1917 “do not display anything below the rattlesnake.” Both versions are considered the Gadsden flag.

Which Way the Snake Faces

Wikipedia reports that the rattlesnake “usually faces to the left,” as the early depictions do, but that “some versions of the flag show the snake facing to the right.”

The Rattles

The Gadsden flag’s rattlesnake is traditionally drawn with thirteen rattles for the thirteen colonies. In his 1775 “American Guesser” letter, Benjamin Franklin wrote that he counted the rattles on a Marine drum and found “just thirteen, exactly the number of the Colonies united in America.” A May 1776 Virginia Gazette report, quoted by the NHHC, described the fleet’s colors as having “a snake with thirteen rattles, the fourteenth budding.”

Revolutionary-Era Relatives

The First Navy Jack

Thirteen red and white stripes with an uncoiled rattlesnake and “Dont Tread on Me.” It is the best-known relative of the Gadsden flag, though the NHHC says its 1775–76 use “rests on no firm base of historical evidence.” The U.S. Navy flew it fleet-wide from 2002 to 2019. Full comparison: First Navy Jack vs. Gadsden flag.

The Culpeper Minutemen Flag

Wikipedia lists the flag of Virginia’s Culpeper Minutemen among the other American flags with a rattlesnake motif. It is usually shown with a coiled rattlesnake, “Don’t Tread on Me,” and the words “Liberty or Death.” (We could not confirm the exact design details from a primary source.)

The Train of Artillery of Providence

Wikipedia also lists the flag of the United Companies of the Train of Artillery of the Town of Providence, a Rhode Island unit that flew a flag similar to Gadsden’s.

Other Revolutionary Units

The NHHC names two units “known to have used the rattlesnake and the ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ motto”: Proctor’s Independent Battalion of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and Sullivan’s Life Guard in the 1777 Rhode Island campaign. It adds that the rattlesnake and motto appeared on drums and state paper currency.

South Carolina’s Navy Flag

In 1778 Franklin and John Adams wrote that South Carolina’s warships flew “a rattlesnake in the middle of thirteen stripes.” The NHHC notes most secondary accounts say those stripes were red and blue.

The Ancestor: “Join, or Die”

Franklin’s 1754 cartoon of a snake cut into eight pieces came first. Read about it in our “Join, or Die” guide.

Modern Variants

The Free State Project Porcupine

Wikipedia notes that New Hampshire’s libertarian Free State Project uses a modified flag with the snake replaced by a porcupine, a libertarian symbol.

The Rainbow Gadsden

Wikipedia reports that some libertarians use a version with the snake and motto over a rainbow flag. After the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, posters with a rainbow Gadsden flag and “#ShootBack” appeared in West Hollywood.

Other Colors and Slogans

Many other unofficial versions exist, including different background colors and new slogans below the snake. These are modern designs with their own meanings, and they are not part of the flag’s Revolutionary history.

Which Version Is “Authentic”?

If you want the version closest to the 1776 description, look for a coiled rattlesnake on plain yellow with the motto below. Whether it has grass or an apostrophe is a matter of style, since period sources print the motto both ways. Find classic designs at the Our Gadsden Flag store, and see the full Gadsden flag timeline.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an official Gadsden flag design?

No. The only period description is the 1776 South Carolina journal: a yellow field, a rattlesnake ready to strike, and “Don’t Tread On Me” beneath it. Details like grass, lettering, and direction vary.

Is the grass part of the original Gadsden flag?

Not necessarily. The 1776 description does not mention it, and Wikipedia notes depictions from 1885 and 1917 show nothing below the snake.

Which way should the snake face?

It usually faces left, as in early depictions, though some versions face right.

What is the Gadsden flag with stripes called?

That is the First Navy Jack: thirteen red and white stripes with an uncoiled rattlesnake. It is a separate flag with its own history.

What is the porcupine version?

A modified flag used by New Hampshire’s Free State Project, which replaces the rattlesnake with a porcupine, a libertarian symbol.

Sources

1. Wikipedia, “Gadsden flag.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadsden_flag
2. Naval History and Heritage Command, “The U.S. Navy’s Jack.” https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/banners/usnavy-jack.html
3. “The Rattlesnake as a Symbol of America” (“An American Guesser,” 1775), transcription. https://greatseal.com/symbols/rattlesnake.html
4. Wikipedia, “First Navy Jack.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Navy_Jack