Turkeys as National Birds? Benjamin Franklin and the Great Seal of the United States

Before it was American, it was Asian. And before it was the centerpiece of Thanksgiving in the United States, it was a hit in Spain. Andrew Smith, author of Popped Culture: A Social History of Popcorn in America, The Encyclopedia of Junk Food and Fast Food, and The Turkey: An American Story, gives a quick primer on the history of the 'American' turkey as well as a quick review of the validity of story of the First Thanksgiving. (November 26, 2008. Approx. 15 min.)

With the coming of Thanksgiving comes also a burble of chatty news stories about the origins thereof, and usually something about turkeys.  Not far behind comes some sort of mention of the Founding Fathers, and how they all felt about turkeys.