(DCWatchdog.com) – A Democrat governor with a libertarian streak has come to the defense of a middle schooler banished from class for wearing a Gadsden flag patch because the school authorities claim that the Revolutionary War symbol is somehow “linked to slavery.”
The Daily Caller reports that 12-year-old Jaiden Rodriguez was kicked out of class in the Vanguard School in Colorado Springs for wearing a Gadsden flag patch on his backpack.
The Gadsden flag, depicting a rattlesnake ready to strike with the inscription, “Don’t Thread on Me,” originated as a symbol of unity for the original Thirteen Colonies and a warning to the British in 1775 amid the American Revolution.
The schoolboy’s right to wear the Gadsden flag was defended by Colorado’s Democrat Governor, Jared Polis.
“The Gadsden flag is a proud symbol of the American Revolution and an iconic warning to Britain or any government not to violate the liberties of Americans,” Polis wrote on X.
“It appears on popular American medallions and challenge coins through today and Ben Franklin also adopted it to symbolize the union of the 13 colonies,” he added.
According to an email the school principal sent the boy’s mother, the Vanguard School authorities think the Gadsden flag is connected with “the Confederate flag and other white supremacy groups” and “hate groups.” The email was shared on X by conservative education expert Connor Boyack.
Jaiden Rodriguez’s mother also secretly recorded a video of her meeting with a school official, which was shared on social media.
“The reason we do not want the flag is due to its origins with slavery and slave trade,” the official can be heard explaining.
“It has nothing to do with slavery … maybe you’re thinking of the Confederate flag,” Jaiden’s mother protested.
The official then argued that she was only “enforcing” the school district’s policy and that the boy’s family was entitled to view the Gadsden flag however they chose.
The report notes that the Gadsden flag was adopted from the 1774 “Join, or Die” cartoon by Benjamin Franklin, showing eight of the 13 thirteen colonies as parts of a woodcut rattlesnake.
Eleven US states allow drivers to get Gadsden flag-themed vehicle license plates.
“It’s a great teaching moment for a history lesson!” Colorado’s Governor Polis commented.
