Benjamin Franklin and the Wild Turkey as US Symbol

Benjamin Franklin and the Wild Turkey as US Symbol Category: Symbols of the Republic URL: https://usa250thanniversarymural.com/usa-250th-mural-blog/ Meta Description: Benjamin Franklin once proposed the turkey as a better national symbol than the bald eagle. This post explores his reasoning and how it echoes through the symbols he did help create. Estimated Read Time: 6–7 minutes Author/Attribution: Steve Tuthill Publication Date: April 12, 2025 Not every founding idea took flight. And in one of the more memorable turns of Revolutionary imagination, Benjamin Franklin looked at the bald eagle- soon to be the emblem of the new United States- and saw something unimpressive. In a private letter to his daughter in 1784, Franklin laid out an argument that still surprises readers today: the wild turkey, not the bald eagle, would have made a better national symbol. Franklin thought the eagle was flashy but overrated. He accused it of laziness, stealing food from smaller birds, and lacking the moral fiber to represent a republic born of sacrifice. In contrast, the turkey was, in his words, “a much more respectable bird.” He praised its courage, its native presence, and its role as a vigilant protector. To Franklin, the turkey was a fitting emblem for a people who had defended their homes rather than conquered someone else’s. The idea was never submitted officially. The Great Seal had already been adopted in 1782 with its familiar eagle, shield, arrows, and olive branch. But Franklin’s turkey remark stuck- partly because it reflected a real tension in the early republic about image and identity. Was America to be seen as noble and imperial, like the eagle soaring above? Or as grounded, self-reliant, and a little stubborn, like the turkey patrolling the farmyard? That debate never made it into the mural as a literal scene. Franklin is present, but not in a room full of birds. He is shown at work designing Continental currency, a task that engaged both his artistic mind and his political convictions. In the vignette, his hands rest on an early dollar note, rich with symbols of unity, vigilance, and economic virtue. A small stack of engraved paper rests nearby, featuring chains in a circle- each link representing a colony. The turkey is nowhere to be found, but Franklin’s symbolic voice is everywhere in that scene. And that is the key to understanding his argument. Franklin was not mocking national symbolism. He was elevating it. He believed symbols had to reflect character. The turkey was not a joke to him. It was a statement. A reminder that courage does not always soar above the fray. Sometimes it walks the ground and guards its nest. What makes his commentary so enduring is that it came not from opposition, but from affection. Franklin loved the idea of the republic and wanted its emblems to reflect the virtue of its people- not just their ambition. The eagle won the day, but the turkey never truly disappeared. It remained in the margins of the national imagination, showing up in letters, satire, and the occasional editorial. A symbol of the path not taken. Franklin’s turkey has become part of the cultural folklore. It reminds us that even founding icons were debated. That the choices we now take for granted were once uncertain. And that the heart of a symbol is not in the animal, but in the meaning it carries. Sometimes, the soul of a nation is not who stands tallest, but who stands their ground. Not every founding idea took flight. And in one of the more memorable turns of Revolutionary imagination, Benjamin Franklin looked at the bald eagle- soon to be the emblem of the new United States- and saw something unimpressive. In a private letter to his daughter in 1784, Franklin laid out an argument that still surprises readers today: the wild turkey, not the bald eagle, would have made a better national symbol. Franklin thought the eagle was flashy but overrated. He accused it of laziness, stealing food from smaller birds, and lacking the moral fiber to represent a republic born of sacrifice. In contrast, the turkey was, in his words, “a much more respectable bird.” He praised its courage, its native presence, and its role as a vigilant protector. To Franklin, the turkey was a fitting emblem for a people who had defended their homes rather than conquered someone else’s. The idea was never submitted officially. The Great Seal had already been adopted in 1782 with its familiar eagle, shield, arrows, and olive branch. But Franklin’s turkey remark stuck- partly because it reflected a real tension in the early republic about image and identity. Was America to be seen as noble and imperial, like the eagle soaring above? Or as grounded, self-reliant, and a little stubborn, like the turkey patrolling the farmyard? That debate never made it into the mural as a literal scene. Franklin is present, but not in a room full of birds. He is shown at work designing Continental currency, a task that engaged both his artistic mind and his political convictions. In the vignette, his hands rest on an early dollar note, rich with symbols of unity, vigilance, and economic virtue. A small stack of engraved paper rests nearby, featuring chains in a circle- each link representing a colony. The turkey is nowhere to be found, but Franklin’s symbolic voice is everywhere in that scene. And that is the key to understanding his argument. Franklin was not mocking national symbolism. He was elevating it. He believed symbols had to reflect character. The turkey was not a joke to him. It was a statement. A reminder that courage does not always soar above the fray. Sometimes it walks the ground and guards its nest. What makes his commentary so enduring is that it came not from opposition, but from affection. Franklin loved the idea of the republic and wanted its emblems to reflect the virtue of its people- not just their ambition. The eagle won the day, but the turkey never truly disappeared. It remained in the margins of the national imagination, showing up in letters, satire, and the occasional editorial. A symbol of the path not taken. Franklin’s turkey has become part of the cultural folklore. It reminds us that even founding icons were debated. That the choices we now take for granted were once uncertain. And that the heart of a symbol is not in the animal, but in the meaning it carries. Sometimes, the soul of a nation is not who stands tallest, but who stands their ground.