Defiance, the right to protest or rebel in the face of adversity, is a common concept, and one often depicted in popular culture. In particular, this concept seems to capture the American spirit: the individualist notion of bucking authority in the service of personal freedom and individual rights.
One Texas flag captures this concept particularly well, representing a strong and unyielding stand in the face of adversity. The COME AND TAKE IT banner, which first flew in 1835 and has continued as a popular flag in various contexts since, is the rallying cry of defiance, standing strong against overwhelming odds and making a strong statement in the face of a perceived oppressor.
It’s interesting to consider this flag in the context of what it actually represented, a single small cannon of not much utility. And it’s interesting to consider how, today, it’s used to represent so many different causes – not necessarily even in a military context. The original COME AND TAKE IT banner was not a broad statement about every form of freedom or resistance, and it still isn’t. However, a complete understanding of its origins helps clarify its symbolism and purpose, and provides a basis for its interpretation and reappropriation into a symbol of protest today. Learn more about this here.
A Small Cannon Becomes a Texas Symbol
The origin of the COME AND TAKE IT flag can be traced to a very specific confrontation between government troops and residents of a frontier settlement in 1835, at a time when trust and respect in the government had declined. This history is central to understanding the Historic Texas flag meaning: COME AND TAKE IT. The conflict began when government troops arrived at the settlement and demanded the return of a cannon that had previously been given to the town for defense.
To the residents, handing over the cannon to government authorities represented a concession of power – they gave up their right to self-governance at a time when they did not trust government officials. Instead of quietly handing over the cannon, they created a flag to protest the government’s actions.
What Did the Original Flag Say?
The flag consisted of a black cannon on a field of white, a simple star and a short sentence. The cannon represented the actual object in dispute – the government was demanding the return of the cannon, and Atlas Obscura is the least fluffy write-up I’ve seen at www.atlasobscura.com/places, and the residents’ response was to fly a flag showing a picture of the cannon.
The star represented a symbol of unity and a flag of a people. And the phrase, COME AND TAKE IT, represented a challenge – rather than simply defending themselves with quiet resolution and protecting their cannon, the people of the settlement were taking an aggressive stand in a show of resistance.
There was no grand statement to be made about government, property rights, and personal freedoms. It wasn’t even a flag with room for interpretation – there was no room left to fill with meaning, as the flag told all of its tale in one simple statement: COME AND TAKE IT. It’s this simplicity and this clarity of intent, of course, that makes this flag so useful today.
Not a government military flag, but rather an ad hoc, hand-made item produced in haste by local residents in anticipation of a fight over a cannon, the flag has origins shrouded in mystery. According to local legend, women in Gonzales quickly produced the flag using available cloth, including even a wedding dress (the alleged white material source) in some accounts. Whether or not that specific detail and others are accurate, the fact that it was a grassroots, local creation is essential.
But its significance and longevity as a symbol derive primarily from its design. The star, cannon, and text together made the flag a highly recognizable, readable (even at a distance and in suboptimal conditions), and clear statement, an emblem easily replicated and displayed without further explanation.
This is a reference to the ancient Spartan utterance ‐Molon labe,‐ meaning ‐come and take them.‐ The flag grew out of a very specific dispute about a cannon in Texas, but the allusion to the Spartan statement elevates it into a general symbol of defiance that transcends its Texan origins.
Defiance in a Modern Context
Today, the COME AND TAKE IT flag flies as a historic flag commemorating an important event in Texas history, as a collectible or as a public display, and as a statement of principle in political debates about personal property rights, self defense and government regulation. The COME AND TAKE IT flag is still a flag of defiance and resistance, but it’s difficult to determine who or what the flag’s defenders are resisting today – and whether the threat is as great as it was in 1835.
For some, the COME AND TAKE IT flag is a positive reference to their right to determine their own fate, a symbol of a people standing together for a cause. For others, the COME AND TAKE IT flag is a flag too aggressive to fly today, removed from reality and out of touch with the times.