A closer look
If one of America's most famous founding fathers had his way, the national symbol of freedom would literally be the ugliest bird at the petting zoo. In a 1784 letter to his daughter, Franklin severely criticized the choice of the bald eagle as the national symbol, calling it a "Bird of bad moral Character" solely because it steals fish from other, hard-working birds. Instead, he argued that the wild turkey was a "much more respectable Bird" and a "true original Native of America" that wouldn't hesitate to physically attack an invading British guard.
