Our National Birds: The American Eagle and The Thanksgiving Turkey. “May one give us peace in all our states. The other a piece for all our plates.” Lets talk Turkey…and Bald Eagle! Did Benjamin Franklin really want the Wild Turkey to be the national symbol of the United States?
The legend of Benjamin Franklin proposing the turkey as the national symbol instead of the bald eagle is a staple of American folklore. But like many legends, the full story is more complex and interesting than the simplified version passed down through generations Let’s take a closer look at the context behind Franklin’s famous words praising the turkey over the eagle.
Franklin’s Role in Designing the Great Seal
In 1776, the Continental Congress appointed a committee consisting of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson to design a seal for the newly declared independent United States Each founder submitted their own proposal, but none featured the bald eagle Franklin proposed a dramatic scene from Exodus depicting Moses parting the Red Sea to overwhelm Pharaoh. For the reverse side, the committee chose Franklin’s Exodus design along with a Latin motto suggested by Jefferson.
The Continental Congress rejected their proposal in August 1776. In 1780 a new committee took over the project. It was lawyer William Barton in 1782 who first introduced the bald eagle into the design. After some modifications by Charles Thomson Secretary of Congress, the Great Seal was approved in 1782 featuring a bald eagle as the central element.
So Franklin himself did not actually propose the turkey or any other bird when he had the chance to choose a national symbol in 1776. His biblical scene reflected the founders’ desire to depict the new republic as a new promised land led by divine providence.
The Famous Turkey Letter of 1784
In 1784, eight years after working on the seal committee, Franklin wrote his famous letter praising the turkey over the eagle. He sent this letter privately to his daughter, purportedly critiquing the emblem of the Society of the Cincinnati, an organization of Revolutionary War officers. Franklin compared the bald eagle unfavorably to the turkey, calling it of “bad moral character” for stealing food and lacking industry. He cited the turkey as “a much more respectable Bird” native to North America.
Franklin never publicly voiced disapproval of the eagle seal he helped approve in 1782. While genuinely promoting the turkey’s merits, his letter used humor and satire to critique the hereditary aristocracy represented by the Cincinnati eagle emblem. He advised his French translator not to publish it in his lifetime to avoid offense.
The Turkey vs Eagle Legend Emerges
After Franklin’s death in 1790, the famous turkey letter was published in English in 1817. Over the next century, the letter gained popular lore as evidence that Franklin seriously proposed the turkey to replace the bald eagle as the national bird. Cartoons depicted Franklin with a turkey to symbolize this legend.
But historians largely agree Franklin was not making a literal policy proposal. At most he seemed to genuinely admire some attributes of wild turkeys over bald eagles. He employed wit and satire to make a subtler point about the Society of the Cincinnati. Franklin never publicly opposed the eagle seal design he approved back in 1782.
The Turkey’s Enduring Popularity
Despite the doubtful origins of the national turkey legend, wild turkeys remain a uniquely American bird treasured by Franklin and many others. Unlike bald eagles, turkeys were not also native to Europe. Franklin rightly praised the turkey as a “true original native of America.”
Turkeys perhaps deserve their popularity not as our national bird, which the fierce and majestic bald eagle suits better. But as a much savored centerpiece of tradition at Thanksgiving feasts, the turkey’s status as an iconic American bird seems secure for centuries to come. And when we dine on turkey this Thanksgiving, we can remember Franklin’s letter and its lasting impact in promoting the virtues of the noble turkey to generations of Americans.
How did the Bald Eagle become the national bird of the United States?
In 1782, several years after declaring independence from Great Britain, the United States adopted a seal for the young country. Benjamin Franklin, along with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, was a part of the committee to design the seal. Franklins proposal for a seal design had no birds located on the emblem at all, but Charles Thomson, an Irish-born Patriot leader from Philadelphia and secretary of Congress, submitted the winning artwork that was immediately approved by the Continental Congress.
Thomsons work contained the of a Bald Eagle holding an olive branch in its right talons and thirteen arrows in its left talons. It supports a shield upon its breast and and clutches a scroll in its beak with the words, “E pluribus unum,” meaning “Out of many, one.” With the adoption of this design as the Great Seal of the United States, the Bald Eagle became the national bird.
Is Franklin right about the moral character of Bald Eagles?
Well, sort of. Since Bald Eagles arent humans, we are slow to assign them “characters” in the way we might describe a person, but what we can say about our nations symbol is that they tend to be opportunistic when it comes to acquiring their food.
Bald Eagles are known for regally catching fish in their bright yellow feet, held firm by sharp talons, from glistening blue lakes in front of the back drop of purple mountains majesty, but theyre also not quick to shy away from an easy meal…such as carrion, or dead animals. In fact, Bald Eagles are often seen feeding on dead fish, mammals, and other birds that wash ashore. They can also often be seen hanging out in garbage dumps looking for a delicacy to snack upon. One can imagine that Benjamin Franklin would not have been pleased to see our national bird perched high atop a trash heap.
Franklin wasnt exactly wrong to liken Bald Eagles to robbers either. It is true that Bald Eagles are known for stealing fish from Osprey (Franklin calls them “Fishing hawks”) or even other, particularly juvenile, Bald Eagles (photo below). He also wasnt wrong to note that the national symbol will also respond to smaller birds chasing them by retreating. Smaller birds see Bald Eagles, and other birds of prey, as potential threats and will practice a behavior called “mobbing” to scare them away from an area. Many raptors are quick to skedaddle when smaller birds begin diving at their heads.
Did You Know That Benjamin Franklin Wanted a Turkey as America’s National Bird?
FAQ
Who wanted turkey for national bird?
Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a Turkey.Jun 30, 2023
Who declared the bald eagle the national bird?
- Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith co-sponsored the Senate bill.
- Minnesota Representatives Brad Finstad and Angie Craig introduced the bill in the House.
- The bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent.
- The bill was sent to Biden’s desk to be signed.
Who made the turkey a national symbol?
The story that Franklin proposed the turkey as the national symbol began to circulate in American newspapers around the time of the country’s centennial and …Nov 21, 2016
What bird did Thomas Jefferson want?
- In 1776, Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams were tasked with designing the Great Seal of the United States.
- The committee initially agreed on a design of Liberty holding a shield.
- However, a Philadelphia artist created a new design that included a golden eagle.
- Federal lawmakers specified that the bird on the seal should be an American bald eagle.
- The bald eagle was chosen as the national symbol on June 20, 1782.
- The bald eagle is known for its strength, independence, and determination.
- The bald eagle first appeared on the Great Seal of the United States in 1782.
Why did Benjamin Franklin want the national bird to be a Turkey?
The story about Benjamin Franklin wanting the National Bird to be a turkey is just a myth. This false story began due to a letter Franklin wrote to his daughter criticizing the original eagle design for the Great Seal, saying that it looked more like a turkey. In the letter, Franklin wrote that the “Bald Eagleis a Bird of bad moral Character.
Did Benjamin Franklin want a turkey instead of a bald eagle?
A common myth associated with the creation of America’s Great Seal, which features a bald eagle, is that Benjamin Franklin wanted the seal to have a turkey instead. According to the Franklin Institute, this is false. The claim stems from a letter Franklin wrote to his daughter, Sarah Bache, on Jan. 26, 1784.
What did Franklin consider a Turkey?
In contrast, Franklin called the turkey “a much more respectable bird” and “a true original native of America.” While he considered the eagle “a rank coward,” Franklin believed the turkey to be “a bird of courage” that “would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his farm yard with a red coat on.”
Did Franklin really want a Turkey on the Great Seal?
People often interpret this story to mean that Franklin wanted to replace the eagle on the Great Seal of the United States with a turkey. In a November 1962 cover of ” The New Yorker “, cartoonist Anatol Kovarsky did as much. But some historians suggest that Franklin wasn’t actually serious. “Yeah, he was joking,” comments Best Life magazine.
Was Benjamin Franklin joking about the Turkey?
But that organization does not say Franklin was joking; it just says that Franklin didn’t specifically propose the turkey as the national bird. “Although Benjamin Franklin defended the honor of the turkey against the bald eagle, he did not propose its becoming one of America’s most important symbols,” the Franklin Institute continues.
Did Franklin propose a turkey or an eagle?
Franklin proposed not a turkey, not an eagle, but this: A scene from Exodus — “Moses standing on the Shore, and extending his Hand over the Sea, thereby causing the same to overwhelm Pharoah … ” Franklin wrote in his proposal.