You’ve likely heard many times that Benjamin Franklin would have preferred the Wild Turkey as the official bird of the United States rather than the American Bald Eagle. Unfortunately, the manner in which the story is now generally told somewhat misrepresents the purpose of the letter from which quotes used to support it are commonly taken.
Written to his daughter Sarah Franklin Bache and dated 26 January 1784, Dr. Franklin’s main purpose in the letter was to express his criticism of the idea of the practice of “descending honors” being employed in the recently formed American hereditary military order The Society of Cincinnati – itself a subject of much discussion and debate at the time. As The Society adopted as its own symbol the American Bald Eagle, Dr. Franklin took up the subject of that bird itself and the depiction of it in the crest of The Society in a few paragraphs, explaining – in highly metaphorical language that often reflects back to the main subject of the letter – how he thought the eagle’s character inferior to that of the more respectable Wild Turkey:
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; you may have seen him perched on some dead Tree, near the River where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labor of the Fishing-Hawk; and, when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the support of his Mate and young ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him, and takes it from him. With all this Injustice he is never in good Case; but, like those among Men who live by Sharping and Robbing, he is generally poor, and often very lousy. Besides, he is a rank Coward; the little Kingbird, not bigger than a Sparrow, attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District. He is therefore by no means a proper emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America, who have driven all the Kingbirds from our Country; though exactly fit for that Order of Knights, which the French call Chevaliers d’Industrie.
I am, on this account, not displeased that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turk’y. For in Truth, the Turk’y is in comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America. Eagles have been found in all Countries, but the Turk’y was peculiar to ours; the first of the Species seen in Europe, being brought to France by the Jesuits from Canada, and served up at the Wedding Table of Charles the Ninth. He is, though a little vain and silly, it is true, but not the worse emblem for that, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards, who should presume to invade his FarmYard with a red Coat on.
For those interested in reading this letter in it’s entirety, as well as other works by this remarkable Eighteenth Century polymath, I highly recommend the Library of America volume of Benjamin Franklin: Essays, Article, Bagatelles, and Letters; Poor Richard’s Almanack; Autobiography, where the letter quoted above can be found on page 1084. As this volume has now been replaced in the series and it’s contents divided between two new volumes, titled respectively Autobiography, Poor Richard, and Later Writings and Silence Dogood, The Busy-Body, and Early Writings, I can only assume – but cannot verify – that the letter is now likely to be found in the former of these two.
