Bald eagle: Icon of freedom, now officially America's national bird

For nearly 250 years, the bald eagle has represented self-reliance and virtue for Americans-and it is now finally getting its due

The bald eagle has long been synonymous with American ideals — freedom, resilience, and strength. It first appeared on the Great Seal of the United States in 1782, a decision by the founding fathers that elevated the bird to a symbol of national pride. Despite its lofty cultural status, it remained a national symbol. No law had ever formally named the bald eagle as the national bird. Well, that is about to change.

 

After nearly 250 years as a soaring symbolism, the bald eagle is finally getting its official title. The US Congress has passed a bipartisan Bill to formally designate the bald eagle as the national bird. The legislation, which gained approval from both the House and Senate on December 16 now waits for President Joe Biden’s signature to seal the deal. This new legislation corrects a historical oversight, emphasising not only the eagle’s national importance but also its enduring presence across North America and its spiritual significance for its indigenous peoples.

 

The Bill, introduced by Representatives Brad Finstad (R-MN) and Angie Craig (D-MN), was championed by passionate advocates, including Preston Cook of the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota.

 

The bald eagle’s name comes from the word “piebald,” which means a place of black and white patches. It’s the largest raptor in North America, with a wingspan of 7 to 8 feet. The bald eagle, way back in history, symbolised the new State taking its place among other sovereign powers. Over time, it has come to represent vigilance, perseverance, and justice; the strength of peace and a deterrent to war; and, for the American nation, a symbol of self-reliance and virtue.

 

The bald eagle’s role as a national symbol is linked to its 1782 landing on the Great Seal of the United States. Shortly after the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress gave Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams the job of designing an official seal for the new nation. However, the three founding fathers failed to come up with a design that won Congress’ approval, as did two later committees tasked with the job.

 

In mid-June 1782, the work of all three committees was handed over to Charles Thomson, the secretary of Congress. Thomson chose what he thought were the best elements of the various designs and made the eagle — which had been introduced by artistically inclined Pennsylvania lawyer William Barton in a design submitted by the third committee — more prominent. Thomson also recommended that the small, white eagle used in Barton’s design be replaced with an American bald eagle, and Congress adopted this design on June 20, 1782. (Contrary to legend, there’s no evidence that Ben Franklin protested to Congress about the choice of the bald eagle and lobbied for the turkey, although in a 1784 letter to his daughter, he did label the bald eagle “a bird of bad moral character.”)

 

As the design went on to appear on official documents, currency, flags, public buildings and other government-related items, the bald eagle became an American icon.

 

Despite its symbolic significance, America’s majestic national bird has faced a real-life threat of extinction. In the late-1800s, the country was home to 100,000 nesting bald eagles, but the number of birds soon dwindled due to such factors as habitat destruction and hunting. In 1940, Congress passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act, making it illegal to possess, kill or sell the birds. A new threat arose when they began eating prey contaminated with DDT, a pesticide that came into wide use following World War II. In the 1960s, there were only around 400 breeding pairs left in the continental US, and in 1978, the bald eagle was put on the endangered species list. Thanks to federal protections as well as regulations involving DDT, the bald eagle population had recovered by 1995, leading to its status being changed from endangered to threatened. By 2007, it was completely removed from the list.

 

The bald eagle is currently on the back of the quarter coin and the dollar bill. It is also the dominant visual of the Presidential and Supreme Court seals. The bald eagle has appeared in a variety of comic books, ranging from Superman and Super Girl to Captain America. On July 20, 1969, the crew of Apollo 11 landed their lunar module “Eagle” on the surface of the moon. They called the module the “Eagle,” as their insignia was a bald eagle landing on the moon with an olive branch. No bird could have flown any higher.

 

The author is chairman of Rediffusion