Study Marry Kill

Share this post

Founding Feathers

alexiscoe.substack.com

Founding Feathers

The best July 4th collab

Alexis Coe
Jun 30, 2021
5
2
Share
Share this post

Founding Feathers

alexiscoe.substack.com

I’ll be in conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Kai Bird about his new book, The Outlier: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter at the New York Public Library’s Live at Bryant Park series on Wednesday, July 7th, 5-6pm. Becca Andrews interviewed me for a feature on You Never Forget Your First in Mother Jones and Caity Weaver for a New York Times article on meetings. 

Barn Owl and James Madison

Many of the founders look like birds. That’s the sort of thing you think about when you spend too much time with them, but the past year—dominated by Covid-19, The Big Lie, and the Capitol Insurrection—hasn’t left much space for me to add to this list or indulge weirder ideas. This 4th of July, when the media asks me to make historical connections to the present, will be no different, so let’s have a bit of fun here.

Share

Northern Cardinal and Thomas Jefferson
Crested Duck and Henry Knox
Tufted Titmouse and James Monroe
Araucana and John Adams
Demoiselle Crane and Benjamin Franklin

Share

Bald Eagle and Alexander Hamilton
Raven and John Jay
Cockatoo Parrot and George Washington

Share

I’ve covered the big ticket founders, but there are plenty who still need a fowl friend, including John Hancock, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, John Dickinson, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Rush, George Mason, John Marshall and Thomas Paine. Birders, I want to hear from you but I want obviously wrong, terrible answers, too! Please leave suggestions below in the comments, open to all.

This post was updated to include Thomas Paine because he complained about being ignored on Twitter. (If I was Washington, I’d let him rot in there.)

See you next week! Until then, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram, and SMK titles on Bookshop and Amazon.

5
2
Share
Share this post

Founding Feathers

alexiscoe.substack.com
2 Comments
Lynne
Jul 1, 2021

Arthur obviously isn't a founding father, but the Araucana reminds me much more of him than Adams hahha

Expand full comment
Reply
Thomas Paine ✊
Writes Common Sense
Jun 30, 2021

To G. Washington: "And as to you, Sir, treacherous in private friendship (for so you have been to me, and that in the day of danger) and a hypocrite in public life, the world will be puzzled to decide whether you are an apostate or an impostor; whether you have abandoned good principles, or whether you ever had any."

Expand full comment
Reply
Top
New
Community

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Alexis Coe
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing