Gadsden Flag

Historical Flags

A historical American flag from 1775, designed by Continental Congress delegate Christopher Gadsden.

Hoist Ratio 2:3 Fly

Basic Flag Information

Flag Name	Gadsden Flag
Category	Historical Flags
Adopted On	1775
Designer	Christopher Gadsden
Flag Proportion	2:3
Flag Shape	Rectangle
Number of Colors	2
Main Colors	Yellow, Dark Brown
Design Type	Yellow field with a coiled rattlesnake and a motto

Flag Color Information

Color	Appearance	HEX Code
Yellow		#FFCC00
Dark Brown		#3B2A12

Flag Design and Symbols

Yellow colour	Represents the field
Dark Brown colour	Represents the snake and lettering
Timber rattlesnake	An early American symbol of vigilance, drawn from Benjamin Franklin’s "Join, or Die" cartoon
Motto	A warning against interference

About the Gadsden Flag

A historical American flag from 1775, designed by Continental Congress delegate Christopher Gadsden.

WorldFlags.online keeps this design in the Historical Flags collection rather than presenting it as a current sovereign-state flag. That category determines how dates, status and reuse guidance should be read.

Design and construction

Yellow field with a coiled rattlesnake and a motto; recorded proportion 2:3.

Reference palette

The stored palette is Yellow (#FFCC00) and Dark Brown (#3B2A12). These values are reference values for the artwork in this library and should not be treated as a legal colour specification unless the issuing body publishes one.

Symbols and meaning

Timber rattlesnake: An early American symbol of vigilance, drawn from Benjamin Franklin’s "Join, or Die" cartoon; Motto: A warning against interference.

Date and authorship

The record dates the design to 1775. The designer is recorded as Christopher Gadsden.

Why this record is separate from national flags

Historical, organisational, political, identity, religious, regional and signal flags can be important reference material without having the status of a present-day national flag. Keeping those categories separate makes the library clearer and reduces the risk of presenting a historical or protected emblem as a current national symbol.

Verification sources

Flags of the World — specialist flag reference index — Specialist vexillological reference

Facts about the Flag of Gadsden Flag

Gadsden Flag is filed under Historical Flags rather than the current national-flag index.
The recorded construction is yellow field with a coiled rattlesnake and a motto.
The reference proportion is 2:3.
The stored palette contains Yellow and Dark Brown.
The record dates this design to 1775.
The designer is recorded as Christopher Gadsden.
Timber rattlesnake: An early American symbol of vigilance, drawn from Benjamin Franklin’s "Join, or Die" cartoon.
Motto: A warning against interference.
A historical American flag from 1775, designed by Continental Congress delegate Christopher Gadsden.

Frequently asked questions about the Gadsden Flag

What is the Gadsden Flag?

A historical American flag from 1775, designed by Continental Congress delegate Christopher Gadsden.

What type of flag is the Gadsden Flag?

It is catalogued under Historical Flags rather than the current sovereign-state flag index.

What does the Gadsden Flag look like?

Yellow field with a coiled rattlesnake and a motto, with a recorded proportion of 2:3.

What proportion is recorded for the Gadsden Flag?

The reference proportion stored for this record is 2:3.

Which colours are recorded for the Gadsden Flag?

The reference palette lists Yellow #FFCC00 and Dark Brown #3B2A12.

What do the symbols on the Gadsden Flag mean?

Timber rattlesnake — An early American symbol of vigilance, drawn from Benjamin Franklin’s "Join, or Die" cartoon. Motto — A warning against interference.

When is the Gadsden Flag dated or adopted?

The record gives 1775.