United we stand, divided we fall

World War II propaganda poster, United States

"United we stand, divided we fall" is a phrase used in many different kinds of mottos, most often to inspire unity and collaboration. Its core concept lies in the collectivist notion that if individual members of a certain group with binding ideals - such as a union, coalition, confederation or alliance - work on their own instead of as a team, they are each doomed to fail and will all be defeated. The phrase is also often referred to with only the words "United we stand".

Historical origin

United States propaganda poster, World War II.
Seal of Kentucky

The phrase has been attributed to the ancient Greek storyteller Aesop, both directly in his fable The Four Oxen and the Lion[1] and indirectly in The Bundle of Sticks.[2]

A similar phrase also appears in the biblical New Testament – translated into English from the historic Greek in Mark 3:25 as "And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand". Similar verses of the New Testament include Matthew 12:25 ("And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand") and Luke 11:17 ("But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.").

Use in U.S. history

The first attributed use in modern times is to Founding Father John Dickinson in his pre-Revolutionary War song "The Liberty Song", first published in the Boston Gazette in July 1768. In the song Dickinson wrote: "Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall!" Kentucky entered the Union on June 1, 1792. A little over six months later, on December 20, 1792, the first Kentucky General Assembly adopted the official seal of the Commonwealth, including the state motto, United We Stand, Divided We Fall.

'United We Stand' license plate designed by Troy Wingard for the South Carolina Department of Public Safety in 2002

Patrick Henry used the phrase in his last public speech, given in March 1799, in which he denounced The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions. Clasping his hands and swaying unsteadily, Henry declaimed, "Let us trust God, and our better judgment to set us right hereafter. United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs." At the end of his oration, Henry fell into the arms of bystanders and was carried almost lifeless into a nearby tavern. Two months afterward, he died.

During his unsuccessful campaign (technically speaking) against Stephen Douglas in 1858, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech centered on the House divided analogy to illustrate the need for a universal decision on slavery across all states.

Since 1942, this phrase has been the official non-Latin state motto of Kentucky.[3] The U.S. state of Kentucky's first governor, Isaac Shelby, was particularly fond of the stanza from "The Liberty Song".

On the Missouri flag, the phrase is also written around the center circle.

Modern political uses outside the U.S.

Examples of political uses outside the U.S. include the following:

Popular culture

Examples in popular culture include the following:

References

  1. ↑ The Four Oxen and the Lion Bartleby's famous quotations
  2. ↑ The Bundle of Sticks Bartleby's famous quotations
  3. ↑ The Kentucky official Latin motto, since 2002, is Deo gratiam habeamus ("Let us be grateful to God").
  4. ↑ "Quotes About Unity". goodreads.com.
  5. ↑ Anonymous - Operation Big Brother 3.0 Worldwide Protest 12/08/2012. YouTube. 27 October 2012.

External links

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