When the American bald eagle became the official symbol of America in 1782, Benjamin Franklin had
some objections. He even wrote a letter to his daughter explaining why he thought the bald eagle was
a poor choice to represent our country. In the letter, Franklin said the bald eagle was a lazy thief because it let other birds catch fish in rivers and then swooped down to steal their dinners. He also said that the American bald eagle was a coward because it ran away from smaller birds protecting their nests. Franklin didn’t want a bird that could be seen as a thief and a coward to represent America. He thought the symbol should be something that was both brave and honest. Franklin’s other complaint was that the drawing of the bald eagle used in the great seal actually looked more like a wild turkey. This made Franklin compare the two birds, and he decided the wild turkey would have been a better symbol for our country. He said that the turkey was a more respectable bird since it was not afraid of others birds and was native to America.
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Did Franklin really want the wild turkey to be the national symbol? We may never know for sure, but he definitely was not happy about having a symbol that could be associated with laziness, theft, and cowardice either. Franklin only expressed his concerns through a letter to his daughter, but imagine what it would have meant for our country if Franklin had rallied people around the wild turkey being used as our national symbol. Thanksgiving may have been very different.
The American Bald Eagle was selected as the USA’s National Emblem by our country’s Founding Fathers in on June 20, 1782 at the Second Continental Congress. For over 200 years, the eagle has served as the pride of America’s skies and the living symbol of all that we Americans stand for...Freedom, Democracy, Courage, Strength, Spirit, and Excellence. Since the founding of our country, there has never been a “special day” set aside to annually recognize our country’s inspirational national bird and the role that it has played in our lives, past and present. Together, the AEF and your organization/club can help make June 20th both a state and national “American Eagle Day” to annually remember and commemorate this majestic and important American symbol.
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You should complete activities of your choice from each of the following sections to learn more about the important role the American Bald Eagle has played in our country’s history. Then, take a step to give it a formal place on our calendar by helping establish an annually-celebrated “American Eagle Day” both in your state and nationally. When the activities are completed, your group can choose to purchase an “American Eagle Day” patch to recognize the achievement of your participating group members.
Explore the history of how the American Bald Eagle became the symbol of our country. Why was it chosen and when? Discover how we almost lost this majestic bird to extinction in the lower 48 states. Learn how caring Americans joined together to save and protect it.
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The Great Seal of the United States depicts an American Bald Eagle. Learn what each part of the symbol represents. What is on the back of the Great Seal and what does it represent? Find other places where the American Eagle is part of the artwork, such as the President’s Seal, flags, patches, sport teams’ mascots, etc. Look for places where the Great Seal is shown, such as on our money. Do all the images show respect for the American Bald Eagle’s image as our National Symbol? Explore some of the myths and legends pertaining to the American • Bald Eagle. How has the American Bald Eagle been immortalized by the Native American culture? Is the eagle used as a symbol for other countries or states?
