The illustration published by Benjamin Franklin just before the Albany Congress was a political cartoon depicting a snake cut into eight pieces, each piece representing one of the colonies. The caption read, “Join, or Die.” This was meant to illustrate the need for the colonies to unite in order to survive and protect themselves from the French and Indian War. The message was that if the colonies did not come together, they would be vulnerable to attack and would eventually be destroyed. The Albany Congress was a meeting of representatives from seven of the colonies to discuss a plan of union and defense against the French and Indian War. The illustration was meant to emphasize the importance of the colonies uniting in order to protect themselves.
