What does the snake in benjamin franklin's political cartoon "join or die" represent.

Join or Die is a famous political cartoon by Benjamin Franklin, published in the Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9, 1754. It is considered as one of the first graphic representations of the British colonies in North America by a British settler.

The cartoon illustrated an editorial by Benjamin Franklin on the dangerous fragmentation of the colonies in British America, and subsequently the conviction and the need to unite them in the face of the threat of territorial expansion of the French and their allies. In this way, the cartoon became a symbol of unity of the American colonies with Britain during the French and Indian War.

The drawing shows a snake cut into eight pieces, where each segment represents each of the Thirteen Colonies, identified with initial letters. However, not all of the original colonies appear, either because at the time of the cartoon's publication in 1754, they were either omitted, as in the case of Ohio, or part of another colony, as in the case of Delaware (then part of Pennsylvania). On the other hand, the snake's head represents the colony of New England, which then represented the future colonies of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

d. i assume the underlined word is "role." reformat if it isn't.

explanation:

role is closest to part because when replacing words, "playing a vital decision," "playing a vital activity," and "playing a vital dollar" don't make logical sense. the only meaningful choice is "playing a vital part."

this fits one of merriam-webster's definitions of role: "a function or part performed especially in a particular operation or process."