07/04/2026
Before we had a formal system for presenting ourselves to the world, the Founders had to figure out the same thing every business does: what symbol should represent us?
After 6 years, 3 committees, and enough debate to make a town hall look merciful, we landed on the bald eagle.
Big wings. Sharp claws. Very serious. Very official. Very “don’t f*ck with us, we have documents and cannons.”
Shield on the chest. Latin in the beak. Olive branch in one talon, arrows in the other.
It now belongs on everything from buildings to biker vests. It has range.
But Benjamin Franklin disagreed.
This guy? The bird that steals fish from other birds? The freeloader of the sky, taking credit for someone else’s catch?
In a letter, he called it a bird of “bad moral character.” Said it didn’t get its living honestly and was too lazy to fish for itself.
Brutal. A brand-new national emblem getting hate mail from a Founder in France.
Then he gave a nod to the turkey. Yes, the bird now associated with Thanksgiving and “resting your eyes” during football.
He called it a “much more respectable bird.” A “true original native of America.” A “bird of courage.” A little vain and silly? Sure, which only makes it more American.
A bald eagle says power, freedom, and thunder over a mountain.
A turkey says: Native species. Not majestic, but willing to fight a redcoat on home turf.
The Founders were choosing the face of a country that didn’t know itself yet. Every new thing has this problem: countries, cities, teams, brands. Someone decides what goes on the front. What people point to and say, “That’s us.”
But even when it’s right, someone’s gonna hate it. Franklin wasn’t wrong that the eagle steals food. Or that the turkey was more native, and maybe more honest.
But symbols don’t need to be technically fair. They need to be understood.
Nobody sees a bald eagle and thinks “let’s discuss the ethics of avian food acquisition.”
They think: America.
So yes, we chose the eagle. But Franklin defending the turkey might be the most American part of the story.
From the beginning, even the logo had an argument section.
250 years later, and that still feels painfully on brand
