On July 18, 1961 in a letter to Charles Callison of the National Audubon Society, President John F. Kennedy had this to say about the bald eagle: “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.” According to the U.S. National Archives, in 1782 a drawing of the strong, majestic, long-living bald eagle (Haliaeetusleucocephalus) was presented to the newly-formed Congress. The bird was officially adopted as the insignia of our new nation in 1787. Chosen because of its “association with authority and statehood… the eagle had been used as a symbol of governmental power since Roman times. ”Unique to North America and in some North American cultures, especially among Native Americans, the bald eagle is considered a sacred “spiritual messenger between gods and...(Read Full Article)