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132 Unit 2 ■ Appealing to an Audience

reflection. ’Tis the business of little minds root of things we shall find no difference;
to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and neither can any just cause be assigned why
© Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Do not distribute.
whose conscience approves his conduct, will we should punish in the one case and par-
pursue his principles unto death. My own don in the other. Let them call me rebel
line of reasoning is to myself as straight and and welcome, I feel no concern from it; but
clear as a ray of light. Not all the treasures I should suffer the misery of devils, were
of the world, so far as I believe, could have I to make a whore of my soul by swearing
induced me to support an offensive war, for allegiance to one whose character is that of
I think it murder; but if a thief breaks into a sottish, stupid, stubborn, worthless, brut-
my house, burns and destroys my property, ish man. I conceive likewise a horrid idea
and kills or threatens to kill me, or those in receiving mercy from a being, who at the
that are in it, and to “bind me in all cases last day shall be shrieking to the rocks and
whatsoever” to his absolute will, am I to mountains to cover him, and fleeing with
suffer it? What signifies it to me, whether terror from the orphan, the widow, and the
he who does it is a king or a common man; slain of America.
my countryman or not my countryman; I thank God, that I fear not. I see no real
whether it be done by an individual villain, cause for fear. I know our situation well and
or an army of them? If we reason to the can see the way out of it. . . .

This is the first political cartoon published in
1754 in an American newspaper. This illustration
is attributed to Benjamin Franklin. The image is a
snake segmented in eight pieces and labeled as
the original colonies (New England as the head
with four colonies; Georgia was not included).
The image appeared with an editorial about the
“disunited state” of the colonies.

How does this image serve to represent
unity? What is the message for a divided Library of Congress, LC-USZC4-5315
nation? Paine and Franklin are communicat-
ing to a similar audience. Explain what effect
this image would have on their audience.

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