What is the ‘Gadsden flag’? Outrage as Colorado school removes child from class for carrying patch depicting the ensign
The yellow flag features a coiled rattlesnake with the phrase ‘Don’t tread on me’ written
A middle-schooler from Colorado was reportedly removed from class for having a Gadsden flag patch on his backpack. The student, 12, at The Vanguard School was told he must remove the patch before he comes back to the class. The yellow flag features a coiled rattlesnake with the phrase “Don’t tread on me” written, a video of meeting between the child’s mother and an administrator posted on social media revealed.
The video shows the school’s administrator telling the mother that the patch had to be removed because of the flag’s “origins with slavery and the slave trade.” The mother responds that one can trace back the origin of the flag to the Revolutionary War, and not slavery.
According to New York Post, the child, a seventh-grader, had other patches attached to his backpack. Some depicted semi-automatic weapons, thereby violating the school’s dress code policy.
What is the Gadsden flag?
The Gadsden flag is also known as the ‘Hopkins Flag’ or ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ flag. The historic flag was used by Commodore Esek Hopkins, the United States’ first naval commander in chief. He used it during the American Revolution (1775–83), as his personal ensign.
The flag is named after Christopher Gadsden, a South Carolina delegate to the Continental Congress and brigadier general in the Continental Army, who designed it. He gave the flag to Commodore Esek. Notably , it was unfurled on December 20, 1775, on the main mast of Esek's flagship USS Alfred. Christopher made the flag as a warning to Britain, demanding that it does not violate the liberties of its American subjects. The flag is called the "most popular symbol of the American revolution." The rattlesnake drawn on the flag appears ready to strike.
The origin of the flag can indeed be traced back to the American Revolution, also referred to as the United States War of Independence or American Revolutionary War. The war led to 13 of Great Britain’s North American colonies to win political independence. They went on to form the United States of America. After the US achieved independence, it adopted the Stars and Stripes as the official national flag in 1777. The Gadsden flag, therefore, received little mention.
The school walks back on its demands
After the incident, the school received massive media attention. There was widespread outrage over the child being kicked out because of the flag. The school’s board of directors later called an emergency meeting. It eventually walked back its demands that asked the child, identified as Jaden, to remove the flag. He was allowed to return to class with the patch on his backpack.
“From Vanguard’s founding we have proudly supported our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the ordered liberty that all Americans have enjoyed for almost 250 years,” the board wrote in an email to Vanguard families. “The Vanguard School recognizes the historical significance of the Gadsden flag and its place in history. This incident is an occasion for us to reaffirm our deep commitment to a classical education in support of these American principles.”
However, Harrison School District 2 administrators said that the story is incomplete, and is not just related to the Gadsden flag. “Unfortunately, this story is incomplete,” they said.
“The patch in question was part of half a dozen other patches of semi-automatic weapons,” the administrators added. “…The student returned to class without incident after removing the patches of semi-automatic weapons from the backpack.”