Benjamin Franklin and the turkey
Others object, writes Franklin, to the bald eagle as looking too much like a dindon, or 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, 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 properemblem 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 not much of a biologist and cannot opine on the "bad moral character" of the bald eagle, which I have never seen in the flesh, perched on a dead tree or otherwise.
I have, however, admired wild turkeys at Zion National Park, where they walk around in groups during the day and roost in the tall trees at night, unafraid of visitors. Magnificent, majestic birds indeed. Ah, if only Ben Franklin had had his way about the turkey as a national emblem, and many other things . . .
We will keep to French artists to illustrate this post. The portrait of Franklin as a cultivateur américain is by Joseph-Siffred Duplessis, painted during Franklin's momentous embassy in Paris. The wild turkey is part of the Birds of America series by Jean-Jacques Audubon.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! (Or should we say, with Art Buchwald, Merci Donnant?)
Posted by Catherine Delors at 11/24/2009 1:35 AM 
Categories: Cincinnati,Joseph-Siffred Duplessis,turkey,Audubon,Benjamin Franklin,Thanksgiving
Tags: Cincinnati Joseph-Siffred Duplessis turkey Audubon Benjamin Franklin Thanksgiving
Categories: Cincinnati,Joseph-Siffred Duplessis,turkey,Audubon,Benjamin Franklin,Thanksgiving
Tags: Cincinnati Joseph-Siffred Duplessis turkey Audubon Benjamin Franklin Thanksgiving
a bad moral character??
too rich!
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Indeed. I think Ben is demonstrating his trademark sense of irony here.
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I went to college in Massachusetts. One year we had a wild turkey roaming around campus but it was struck by a minivan on the major road in front of the college.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Sad! I love turkeys. Did you see last year's post, with the white turkeys?
http://blog.catherinedelors.com/2008/11/18/happy-thanksgiving.aspx
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as always, thank you for another informative post. I did know that Franklin favored the Turkey but I had not remembered what you quoted. I also do not know if he is correct about the Eagle or not i think though they mate for life. now that you mention it, i do not think i have seen the Bald eagle alive either.
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Delightful! Happy Thanksgiving to all!
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Penny - I believe, from the general tone of the letter, that the true object of Franklin's disdain was not the eagle, but the Society of the Cincinnati, and its reliance on a traditional heraldic symbol, instead of a typical American bird like the turkey.
Elena - Thank you, and I hope you enjoy a wonderful celebration with your family!
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