Would Thanksgiving Dinner Be the Same If the Turkey Was Our National Bird?

Maybe you had heard the story as I had in elementary school in Omaha, Nebraska, probably around Thanksgiving, that Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be America’s National Bird instead of the eagle. To satisfy my curiosity whether that was accurate, I Googled this issue.

I learned on The Franklin Institute website that 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 ol’ Ben wrote to his daughter, He criticized the original eagle design for the Great Seal, saying that it looked more like a turkey. In the letter, he wrote that the “Bald Eagle is a bird of bad moral character…and too lazy…”

About the turkey, Franklin wrote that in comparison to the bald eagle, the turkey is “a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original Native of America…” Although Franklin defended the honor of the turkey against the bald eagle, he did not propose it become one of America’s most important symbols.

As Paul Harvey always said at the end of his popular radio broadcast, “Now you know…the rest of the story.”

I wonder if the turkey had been named America’s National Bird if families would we be having turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Whether a roasted turkey is on your table or not, the important thing is to give thanks on this uniquely American holiday for what we have.

Let’s give thanks for the efforts of our first responders and those in a U.S.
military uniform who work to protect us.

Let’s pray that our President, members of his administration and members of Congress do a better job of working together for what is in the best interest of all Americans. We might send our dehydrated turkey wishbones. Give them something else to pull apart instead of our country in 2026.

I hope the holiday finds you and your loved ones in good health and spirits.

Have a peaceful and safe Thanksgiving.

Bill Kadereit, President
National Retiree Legislative Network