The rattlesnake and the motto "Don't tread on me" are the main elements of the Gadsden flag, created by Christopher Gadsden, a South Carolina delegate to the Continental Congress and a brigadier in the Continental Army. The flag was designed in 1775 during the American Revolution.
Gadsden created the flag as a symbol of the ideals of the American Revolution and it became its most popular symbol. The message it conveys is the ability and willingness to act in defense if threatened. Today this flag is also a symbol of the libertarian ideal and the political right.
