National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation facts for kids
The National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation is a special ceremony that happens at the White House every year just before Thanksgiving. During this event, the president of the United States is given a live domestic turkey by a group called the National Turkey Federation. These turkeys are usually large male turkeys.
This tradition started way back in the 1940s. For many years, these turkeys were usually eaten. But starting in the 1970s, it became normal to let the turkey live. When George H. W. Bush was president, he started the tradition of giving the turkey a special "pardon". This means the turkey is officially saved and won't be eaten. Every president since then has continued this fun tradition. The turkeys are often chosen from the home state of the person who leads the National Turkey Federation that year.
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The Presidential Turkey Pardon
A Look Back: How the Tradition Started
Long ago, presidents received turkeys as gifts from people. A farmer named Horace Vose sent a turkey every year from 1873 until 1913. After he passed away, many other farmers wanted to be the one to send the president a turkey for Thanksgiving. It became a big competition!
In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge stopped the tradition for a short time because too many turkeys were being offered. He decided to buy his own turkey. But he changed his mind in 1925. After that, he even received other animals as gifts, like a live raccoon named Rebecca. President Coolidge decided to keep Rebecca as a White House pet instead of eating her!
The official ceremony of giving a turkey to the president began in 1947 with President Harry S. Truman. At first, these turkeys were often eaten. Records show that President Truman publicly said he ate some of the turkeys he received.
Later, President Dwight D. Eisenhower also ate the turkeys given to him. But then, something changed. On November 19, 1963, President John F. Kennedy decided to spare a turkey. The turkey had a sign that said, "Good Eating Mr. President." But President Kennedy sent the big turkey back to the farm, saying, "we'll let this one grow." This was just three days before his assassination.
President Richard Nixon also saved some of the turkeys he received. During the time of President Jimmy Carter, his wife, Rosalynn Carter, made sure the turkeys were sent to petting zoos. No public ceremonies were held then.
The first president to officially "pardon" his turkey was Ronald Reagan. He had been sending turkeys to farms and zoos since 1982. In 1987, when asked about a political event, President Reagan joked about pardoning the turkey named Charlie to avoid the question.
President George H. W. Bush made the turkey pardon a regular part of the ceremony starting in 1989. A speechwriter added the words "presidential pardon" to the ceremony. President Bush said it didn't matter what they called it, as long as the turkey didn't end up on the dinner table!
Choosing the Lucky Turkeys
The turkeys chosen for the pardon are raised in a special way. They eat a lot of corn and soybeans to help them grow big. A group of about 50 to 80 turkeys are picked. They are trained to get used to loud noises, bright camera flashes, and big crowds. This helps them stay calm during the White House ceremony.
From this group, the 10 to 20 best-looking and best-behaved turkeys are chosen. Finally, two finalists are picked. Their names are often chosen by White House staff from ideas given by school children in the state where the turkeys were raised. These two special turkeys then travel to Washington, D.C. They even stay in a fancy hotel before their big day at the White House.
The turkeys chosen for the pardon are usually male turkeys, about 21 weeks old. They weigh around 45 pounds! This is much heavier than turkeys raised for food, which are usually processed at a younger age.
These large turkeys are bred to be big and don't move around much. This can sometimes lead to health problems like heart issues. For many years, the pardoned turkeys didn't live very long after their pardon, often less than a year. But in recent years, their lives have gotten much better! Now, they often live for more than two years, and sometimes even three. This is because they are now placed with experts who work hard to keep them healthy for as long as possible.
Where Do the Pardoned Turkeys Go?
After being pardoned, the turkeys used to go to Frying Pan Farm Park in Virginia. From 2005 to 2009, they went to Disneyland or Walt Disney World. There, they were the special grand marshals in Disney's Thanksgiving Day Parade!
From 2010 to 2012, the turkeys lived at Mount Vernon, which was George Washington's home. However, Mount Vernon stopped taking them because it didn't fit with their rule of keeping things historically accurate (George Washington never farmed turkeys).
From 2013 to 2015, the turkeys went to Morven Park in Virginia. Since 2016, they have often gone to universities with special poultry science programs, like Virginia Tech. This helps connect the turkey industry with universities. More recently, the turkeys have been sent to universities closer to their home states, like Iowa State University in 2020 and Purdue University in 2021.
The president's speech during the pardon often includes funny jokes about current events.
Other Turkey Pardons
Some U.S. states also have their own turkey-pardoning events, like Minnesota. Sometimes, similar pardoning ceremonies happen for other holidays too! For example, in Erie County, New York, the county executive jokingly pardons a butter lamb during Holy Week.
Gallery
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President Harry S. Truman receiving a turkey from the turkey industry, 1949
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President John F. Kennedy spares the turkey presented to him, 1963, only three days before his assassination
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President Lyndon B. Johnson accepting a non-pardoned turkey, 1967
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President Richard Nixon sparing the turkey presented to him, 1971
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First Lady Pat Nixon accepting a turkey on behalf of her husband, 1973
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President Gerald Ford accepting a non-pardoned turkey, 1975
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President Ronald Reagan accepting a turkey, 1983
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President George H. W. Bush at the 3rd annual pardoning of the Thanksgiving turkey, 1991
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President Bill Clinton at the 11th annual pardoning of the Thanksgiving turkey, 1999
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President George W. Bush at the 20th annual pardoning of the Thanksgiving turkey, 2008
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President Barack Obama pardoning a turkey called "Courage" on November 25, 2009
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President Donald Trump pardoning a turkey called "Butter" on November 26, 2019
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President Joe Biden pardoning a turkey called "Peanut Butter" on November 19, 2021
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See also
In Spanish: Presentación del pavo de acción de gracias nacional para niños
