Interested in the Eagle with the American Flag? Find out about the historical association of the eagle with the American Flag…
The American Bald Eagle has to its honor, the fact that it has been established as the national bird of the United States of America. One can see the image of the eagle with the American flag in many different places.
The eagle made its way to becoming a patriotic symbol when it was first featured on the Great Seal of the United States of America back in 1782. The massive bird with a wingspan of up to eight feet become accredited as the official national bird six years after it was featured on the Great Seal. Intense debates and arguments were taking place on the symbol of the eagle for that period of six years.
The elder statesmen Benjamin Franklin actually registered his disapproval of the American Bald Eagle as the national bird in 1784. He is on record as saying “The bald eagle…is a bird of bad moral character; like those among men who live by sharping and robbing, he is generally poor, and often very lousy. The turkey is a much more respectable bird and withal a true original native of America.”
However there were more votes in favor of the bald eagle then there were against it and hence the eagle eventually became the official national bird. It was under the regime of George Washington who was the first nationally elected president of America that the eagle acclaimed its exalted status. The National Emblem act of 1940 was put in place in order to protect the privileged place of the national bird.
President John F. Kennedy is recorded as saying in praise of the national emblem “The Founding Fathers made an appropriate choice when they selected the bald eagle as the emblem of the nation. The fierce beauty and proud independence of this great bird aptly symbolizes the strength and freedom of America.”
Eagle with American Flag in popular culture
But naturally the bald eagle then became a symbol of patriotism. It became a popular theme for many artists as well as fashion designers. Even today you will be able to find jackets and t-shirts with the eagle and American flag placed together in the combination. Over the years the association of the eagle, American flag and the initials U.S.A has become a much featured composition on virtually all mediums of art possible.
Characteristics of the Bald Eagle
Known as Haliaeetus Leucocephalus, the natural habitat of the bald eagle stretches from Alaska to Mexico on one side and from Pacific to the Atlantic coast on the other. The national bird is truly national in terms of its natural habitat as well as it is the only breed of eagle restricted to the continent of North America. In that sense it is a native American bird. Although the bird is not renowned for its character it is taken as a symbol of pride, power and freedom on face value which is why it was chosen as the national bird of America.
