Question

Join or die
What do you think the abbreviations around the snake represent ?

Answer 1

The abbreviations in Franklin's "JOIN, or DIE" cartoon symbolize the American colonies, promoting unity through the Albany Plan of Union to withstand external threats.

Step-by-step explanation:

The abbreviations around the snake in the "JOIN, or DIE" cartoon by Benjamin Franklin represent the colonies during the time leading up to the American Revolution. This political cartoon was created to promote membership in the Albany Congress, which debated Franklin's Plan of Union - a plan to create a formal colonial union to ensure collective security and welfare. Each segment of the sliced snake corresponds to a colony or region and the message conveyed was unity; that the colonies needed to join together or they would metaphorically, and perhaps literally, 'die' or fail to survive external threats and pressures.

Answer 2

It is a woodcut showing a snake cut into eighths, with each segment labeled with the initials of one of the American colonies or regions.