On
the matter of the national emblem, Ben Franklin wrote of the virtues of
the turkey, "a true original native of America," while describing
the Eagle as a bird of "bad moral character"; a predator that,
being too lazy to hunt for itself would steal the kill of the fishing hawk
for its own.
Franklin's turkey was not the bird we see on our tables today, but the
one that is so elusive in the wild; a slender and fast-running creature. For
Franklin, this fit and honorable bird was a preferable symbol of America,
one that would inspire respect, not fear.
Ben Franklin's National Bird, Silhouette
made from cut paper, 14 1/2" x 17", 2004
