Franklin's cartoon "Join, or Die" is a woodcut image of a snake divided into eight pieces, referring to the segmented nature of the eight colonies, it was published in his editorial about the "disunited state" of the colony groups, illuminating the issue of division among colonists. The initial intention of the cartoon was to incite unity between the colonies and Great Britain, however, the cartoon created more derision, whereby the colonies sought to unite against Britain. It has featured throughout history since its first publication and remains effective in it's message.