Did you know that Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird of the United States instead of the bald eagle? Well, that’s not true. It’s a myth that has been circulating for over a century, but it has no basis in historical fact.
The myth originated from a letter that Franklin wrote to his daughter, Sarah Bache, on Jan. 26, 1784. In that letter, he criticized the eagle design for a medal issued by the Society of the Cincinnati, an association of Continental Army veterans. He wrote:
“For my own part I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly.”
He then praised the turkey as “a much more respectable bird” and “a true original native of America.” He added:
“He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a bird of courage.”
However, Franklin was not serious about his suggestion and he never made it public. He was not talking about the Great Seal of the United States, which features an eagle as its centerpiece. He had no problem with the eagle as the national symbol, as he had used it on some of his own publications.
In fact, when he had the opportunity to choose a national symbol in 1776, he proposed something completely different. He was part of a committee to design a seal for the new nation, along with John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. He suggested a scene from Exodus with Moses and Pharaoh, but it was rejected by Congress.
The story of Franklin proposing the turkey as the national bird began to circulate in American newspapers around the time of the country’s centennial in 1876. Some historians suggest that Franklin was joking or making fun of something else entirely.
“Franklin was probably not writing seriously,” wrote Richard S. Patterson and Richardson Dougall in their book “The Eagle and the Shield: A History of the Great Seal of the United States.”
“Yeah, he was joking,” commented Best Life magazine.
“Given the opportunity to choose a national symbol, the Founding Father never suggested a turkey,” wrote Christopher Klein for HISTORY.
So next time you hear someone say that Franklin wanted the turkey to be our mascot, you can tell them that it’s just a myth. The eagle remains our proud and majestic national bird, while the turkey remains our delicious and festive Thanksgiving meal.
Relevant articles:
– “Did Benjamin Franklin propose the turkey as the national symbol?”, HISTORY, December 23, 2022
– “Did Benjamin Franklin really want the turkey to be the US national bird?”, Live Science, November 25, 2021
– “Did Benjamin Franklin Want a Turkey, Not a Bald Eagle, on USA’s Great Seal?”, Snopes, December 23, 2022
– “Did Benjamin Franklin Want the National Bird To Be A Turkey?”, The Franklin Institute, November 23, 2021