What is pardoning the chicken? How the Thanksgiving tradition work

Pardoning the turkey is a unique Thanksgiving tradition where the US president pardons a live domestic turkey.

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The tradition began in the 1940s to promote turkey consumption during Thanksgiving.

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Turkeys were presented as gifts to the president and were usually slaughtered until the early 1960s.

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President Truman officially started the annual turkey presentation in 1947.

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President Kennedy spared a turkey in 1963, starting the trend of presidents pardoning turkeys.

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Ronald Reagan was the first president to officially issue a "pardon" to a turkey.

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Since the 1970s, pardoned turkeys have been sent to farms or universities near their hometowns.

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This year, President Biden will pardon turkeys named Liberty and Bell.

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