The Turkey Pardon

You may have heard of the American tradition in which the president of the country spares the life of a turkey before Thanksgiving Day. It may seem like a curious tradition, even a bit pointless, but today our friends from ActitudFem tell us how it began. In 1947, a part of the tradition began when President Truman was gifted a turkey for the celebration. However, Truman did not pardon the life of that animal (and surely enjoyed eating it). The first president to spare one of these birds was John F. Kennedy, although he did not do it out of love for the turkey but because he considered it too small. The animal arrived with a sign that said Let him eat well, Mr. President, but he returned it to the farm saying, We'll let this one grow. The first turkey officially pardoned occurred during Ronald Reagan's presidency. During a political conflict, the president was asked if he would grant a pardon to a Colonel involved, and he responded to the criticism by pardoning a turkey named Charlie. Although Reagan did not pardon more birds, his successor, George H. W. Bush, implemented the tradition annually from his first year in office (1989). For many years, the turkeys were sent to a park in Virginia to live out the rest of their lives, but from 2005 to 2009, they were sent to Disneyland to be part of the Thanksgiving Day parade. In recent years, the animals have been sent to Mount Vernon. These turkeys are not ordinary; they are trained from a young age to be pardoned. They learn to tolerate large groups of people and camera flashes. However, their lives are not very long, and most die within a year of receiving the pardon.   View original article Turkey Gravy Roasted Turkey Turkey with Cranberry Sauce