A commonly told myth is that founding father Benjamin Franklin campaigned for the national bird to be the turkey instead of the bald eagle. This tall tale likely originates from a 1784 letter that Franklin wrote to his daughter, criticizing the design of the American Great Seal. According to the Franklin Institute, his letter called the bald eagle a “Bird of bad moral Character,” who does not “get his Living honestly” because he “is too lazy to fish for himself.” The turkey, meanwhile, is “a little vain and silly” but on the whole “a Bird of Courage” and “a true original Native of America.” This comic speculates as to what would happen this Thanksgiving if the roles of these two birds were reversed. Are they of different significance? Or are they equally valuable symbols that just serve different roles in the American pantheon?
Thanksgiving Comic: Drumsticks
December 1, 2023
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Eden Greene, Student Contributor