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propose: suggest

Great Seal of the US: a presidential stamp placed on federal documents in the US

illustration: drawing

vain: overly admiring of oneself

invader: an unwelcome person who tries to enter or take over a region by force

criticize: to speak or write negatively about someone or something

immoral: not kind or caring towards others

reservations: concerns or doubts

Ben Franklin and the Turkey

Did Benjamin Franklin really propose that a turkey, rather than an eagle, should be the national symbol on the Great Seal of the United States? Not exactly. In a letter to his daughter, dated January 26, 1784, Benjamin Franklin noted that the proposed drawing of the bald eagle for the Great Seal looked more like a turkey. He went on to say that perhaps the illustration was fitting, since a turkey is a more respectable bird than a bald eagle. He said that though a turkey is a bit vain and silly, it is also a native species with great courage who would protect its territory from invaders. He went on to criticize the eagle, saying that these birds were immoral cowards that liked to steal. While Benjamin Franklin’s letter to his daughter suggests he had reservations about the symbolism of the eagle, it is a myth to say that this Founding Father truly felt the turkey ought to be America’s national bird.