On Tuesday, a viral clip of a 12-year-old student from Colorado went viral after school administrators sought to punish him for having a patch on his backpack with the Gadsden flag.
In the video, the school official falsely claimed that the flag was associated with the slave trade rather than its true origin of being flown by patriots combating the British starting in 1775.
“So they're the reason that they do not want the flag is due to its origins with slavery and slave trade," the school official said. "That is what was, um, that's the reasoning behind them.”
According to the official, the middle schooler, who can be seen in the video with a wide grin, has been missing class due to his insistence on keeping the flag attached to his backpack.
In response, the boy's supposed mother attempted to correct the misinformed teacher, saying, "It has nothing to do with slavery. That's like the Revolutionary War patch that was displayed when they were fighting the British...Maybe you're thinking of the Confederate flag?"
The teacher then falls back on an appeal to authority, saying that she was just enforcing district policy. In response to this, the mother lambasted the teacher saying that the policy was "one-sided" given that other students are allowed to wear patches.
The mother explained that she teaches him to "always stick up for your beliefs. I mean, you're going over the revolution for seventh grade. I mean the Founding Fathers stood up for what they believed in against unjust laws. This is unjust."
The move by the school official is indeed unjust. The flag's significance to the American Revolution is well known following its design by Christopher Gadsden in 1775. Gadsden would fly the flag as the leader of the Continental Navy on his flagship USS Alfred.
The rattlesnake adorned across the yellow background is meant to represent the thirteen colonies and it was meant as a message to the authoritarian British that sought to control the American populace with increasing taxes and regulations.
While the school official attempted to punish the young man for wearing the iconic symbol, luckily he had parents who knew the true value of liberty. The Founding Fathers fought under the Gadsden flag and it is a reminder of their sacrifice to secure the American Republic from monarchical rule.
Source - DC Enquier/X - Image - Screenshot - Video source - Collin Rugg/X