Visual symbols that represent the American war of Independence

November 27, 2009 5:31 PM

I need some visual symbols representative of the American War of Independence; can anyone give me some ideas?

Signed Woefully Ignorant, UK.

(posted for a friend)

posted by paduasoy to society & culture (15 comments total)

This is a pretty iconic image.
posted by mpls2 at 5:33 PM on November 27, 2009

Washington Crossing the Delware
posted by Shesthefastest at 5:35 PM on November 27, 2009

oops, sorry, the Delaware.
posted by Shesthefastest at 5:35 PM on November 27, 2009

How 'bout a little Molly Pitcher?
posted by buggzzee23 at 5:39 PM on November 27, 2009

More of an end result, but the First Stars and Stripes (or Betsy ROss flag)/
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 5:41 PM on November 27, 2009

Benjamin Franklin's "Join, or Die" political cartoon.
posted by homuncula at 5:45 PM on November 27, 2009

The Gadsden Flag
posted by netbros at 5:46 PM on November 27, 2009

The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol that comes to mind.

Maybe Paul Revere's ride. The Declaration of Independence is also a recognizable image -- and perhaps too tangentially, John Hancock's signature thereon.
posted by Balonious Assault at 6:11 PM on November 27, 2009

'Don't Tread on Me" as above.
Paul Revere and his Midnight Ride.
We're all pretty proud of the Boston Tea Party.
Minutemen were pretty important at the beginning.
Betsy Ross and her flag.
And of course, The Declaration of Independence.

There is a society here in the US that is actually for the female decendants of Revolutionary soldiers or other "ancestor who aided in achieving American independence". They are called Daughters of the American Revolution. I've got an ancestor who was a soldier, but I've never joined. I think they have a museum, maybe they can help.
posted by TooFewShoes at 6:12 PM on November 27, 2009 [1 favorite]

The Liberty Bell, The Spirit of '76. (This may be irrelevant to your purposes, but most of these images are mythology after the fact -- the signers of the Declaration of Independence weren't in the same room at the same time; the Contintental Army didn't fly the Stars and Stripes, etc.)
posted by Zed at 6:18 PM on November 27, 2009

Here's the Revolutionary War image collection of the National Archives
posted by buggzzee23 at 6:22 PM on November 27, 2009

Fife and drum, especially if one of the players has a slightly bloody*/dirty bandage on his head.

*bloody in the American sense
posted by CathyG at 6:42 PM on November 27, 2009

Not strictly part of the Revolution itself, but the Boston Massacre was a pretty dramatic event leading up to it. And the Old State House, where it occurred, is a pretty striking historical landmark in downtown Boston. But I think the earlier posters have already covered the best known symbols.
posted by serathen at 6:48 PM on November 27, 2009

Before everyone sort of settled on the Betsy Ross flag (which may or may not have been created by her), colonial troops used a bunch of different flags as they went into battle, including the Pine Tree Flag and the above-mentioned Gadsden flag. You can see some of them interwoven in the opening sequence of HBO's John Adams miniseries.
(Though, of these, only the Betsy Ross flag, "Join, or Die," and "Don't Tread on Me" could truly be considered iconic.)
posted by AnimalKing at 8:36 PM on November 27, 2009

Fife and drum

There's a mix of fife and drum photos at that link. The players wearing red coats, while bringing to mind the time of the revolution, are such well known symbol of the British troops as to be synonymous. (Apologies if this is as well known in the UK as it is in the US)

Tangential to your question, you might like to know most call it the Revolutionary War in these parts. There are many Revolutionary Wars, but this one is ours.
posted by yohko at 10:41 PM on November 27, 2009