January 26 in American History
In a letter to his daughter, Benjamin Franklin groused that the bald eagle was "a bird of bad moral character" and joked the turkey — "a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America" — would have been a better national symbol. The eagle won, but Franklin's wit endures every Thanksgiving.
In 1784: Franklin argues for the turkey over the eagle. In a letter to his daughter, Benjamin Franklin groused that the bald eagle was "a bird of bad moral character" and joked the turkey — "a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America" — would have been a better national symbol.
In a letter to his daughter, Benjamin Franklin groused that the bald eagle was "a bird of bad moral character" and joked the turkey — "a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America" — would have been a better national symbol. The eagle won, but Franklin's wit endures every Thanksgiving.
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