The bald eagle has been the national bird of the United States since 1782. However, there is a myth that Benjamin Franklin once advocated for the turkey to be the national bird instead. This story originates from a famous letter Franklin wrote in 1784, leading many to believe he preferred the turkey over the bald eagle While an entertaining legend, the evidence shows Franklin never actually proposed the turkey to represent America.
The Myth of Franklin’s Letter
The myth began because of a letter Benjamin Franklin wrote to his daughter Sarah Bache in 1784. In the letter Franklin criticized the bald eagle’s character and argued the turkey would be a better choice for the national bird. He described the bald eagle as a “bird of bad moral character” for stealing food from other birds. Franklin went on to praise the turkey for its bravery and status as a native bird. He also noted the early seal looked more like a turkey than an eagle.
Many interpret this as evidence Franklin wanted the turkey instead. Cartoons and articles often claim Franklin preferred the gobbler. However looking deeper at Franklin’s role in designing the seal disproves this legend.
Franklin’s Role in Creating the National Symbols
In 1776, the Continental Congress appointed Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams to design the Great Seal. Franklin proposed using a Biblical scene for the front. For the back, he suggested a depiction of the parting of the Red Sea. Neither of his ideas featured any bird at all.
The committee consulted artist Pierre Eugene du Simitiere, who created the initial sketches. His drawings included an eye, shield, motto, and date, but no eagle. The group submitted this design, but Congress tabled it.
When a new committee took over in 1780, Franklin was no longer involved. Lawyer William Barton introduced the bald eagle into the seal in 1782. Charles Thomson then finalized the details to make the eagle official.
So when Franklin later criticized the choice of bald eagle, he was no longer part of the decision process. His famous letter came two years after Congress approved the seal design featuring the eagle.
The Real Target of Franklin’s Satire
Rather than a serious proposal, historians think Franklin’s letter was actually satire targeting the Society of the Cincinnati. This organization consisted of former Revolutionary War officers and their descendants. The group’s membership rules relied on heredity, which Franklin criticized in his letter.
The key evidence is that Franklin never actually sent the letter to his daughter. He wrote it for the French translator André Morellet to turn into a public essay. By pretending it was private, Franklin could mock the Society of the Cincinnati behind a “fictional veneer of privacy”.
Franklin was likely venting his feelings about the Society rather than genuinely arguing for the turkey. The letter never advocates the turkey should be the national bird or symbol. Instead, it uses the contrast between bald eagles and turkeys to make a deeper social commentary.
The Bald Eagle’s Place in American History
Despite the myth, Benjamin Franklin never proposed the turkey as a national symbol. But his letter did spark an early debate about the meaning of symbols. Should the bald eagle represent American values? Or did it fall short as a worthy emblem?
These questions challenged citizens to define the new nation’s character. The turkey makes a morally superior figure in Franklin’s satire. But the bald eagle’s political symbolism as an inspiring predator proved more powerful.
The bald eagle prevailed as the seal and national bird due to its regal, patriotic image. But traces of Franklin’s letter remind us that national symbols remain open to debate, reinterpretation, and dissent. A legend about the turkey was born, highlighting the fluid nature of America’s identity.
In the end, Franklin’s passion for turkeys and distaste for eagles did not translate into making the turkey the national bird. He criticized the bald eagle but never formally suggested replacing it. Yet his witty satire pushing the humble turkey as a symbol gave Americans an early chance to examine the meaning of their icons. Myths have staying power when they reveal something true about a culture’s imagination.
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 Benjamin Franklin want the Wild Turkey to be the national bird?
Since Benjamin Franklins suggested design for the seal didnt contain any birds, it is believed that he did not lobby for the Wild Turkey to be the national bird. In fact, the only written mention of his disdain for the Bald Eagle wasnt until 1784 when he wrote a letter to his daughter where he questions the decision. In the letter he makes it clear that he did not believe the Bald Eagle to be representative of the new nation and he remarks that the bird on the seal looks more like a turkey. The letter reads:
In fact, the only time a seal of the United States has featured a Wild Turkey was when artist, Anatole Kovarsky, designed the on the left for the November 24, 1962 issue of The New Yorker.
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