United we stand, divided we fall
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[edit] Introduction
United we stand, Divided we fall is a phrase that has been used in mottos, from nations and states to songs. The basic concept is that unless the people are united and one people, it is easy to destroy them. This is a counter to the maxim 'divide and conquer' Divide and Rule. The phrase has been attributed to Aesop.
[edit] Mottos
This phrase was the official non-Latin state motto of Kentucky until 2002. United we stand, divided we fall, is from a popular 1768 tune entitled the "Liberty Song," by John Dickinson. Kentucky's first governor, Isaac Shelby, was particularly fond of a stanza of the song which proclaimed, "Then join in hand, brave Americans all; By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall." In 2002, the Kentucky legislature approved an official Latin motto: "Let us give thanks to God.".
On the Missouri flag, the phrase is also stated around the center circle.
[edit] Songs/Pop Culture
A shortened version of the phrase, United we stand, is used in politics to unite people of a nation for a common cause.
The phrase was contained in the "Liberty Song" by John Dickinson. The phrase is also the closer for the song "Hey You" (1979 song) From the album The Wall by Pink Floyd.
[edit] India's founding fathers
This statement was also a commonly used political phrase used to garner support within India during its struggle for independence from the British Empire.
[edit] Protocols of Zion
The 300 — page 1934 imprint of the notorious Plagiarism, known as the Protocols of Zion, and issued by the so-called Patriotic Publishing Co., and which bears the title, on the title page, of The Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion, has above the title, the following motto: United We Fall, Divided We Stand. Subsequent inprints of this particular edition have reverted to the former phrase. One can only assume it to be an error.
