You Could Make a Religion Out of This!: Bald Eagle Symbolism in American Politics

 

The photograph you see above was taken by photographer Martin Schoeller for TIME Magazine in 2015, when Donald Trump was leading the Republican primaries. In it, Trump is seated in a leather chair at his office desk wearing a suit and tie and holding a piece of paper in both hands, as if he was in the middle of reading it. He is looking directly at the camera with a serious, and perhaps even displeased, expression. The photograph is clearly staged, but the clutter surrounding him gives an air of authenticity. In front of him, on the desk, are unorganized piles of documents and folders. On the windowsill behind him, below a large window, many small framed photographs are placed tightly together - most seem like portraits, and might be family photos. Trump's face and body are placed in the center and slightly to the left of the photo, and next to his hands on the desk an American bald eagle stands on a metal perch. The placement of the eagle on the desk may imply a sense of ownership - that it, like the documents and desk and indeed building in which the office is located, belongs to Trump. The eagle's wings are relaxed around its body, and its head is turned toward Trump such that it is in profile - the viewer's eye is encouraged to follow the eagle's orientation back toward Trump. Its beak is slightly open, suggesting the call of an eagle that we cannot hear. Finally, the eagle stands out both due to its position near the center of the photo but also because of its black and white plumage, which contrast with the colorful clutter of the office.  

In "Civil Religion in America," Robert N. Bellah argues that America has a civil religion, a powerful and dynamic collective force that can instill a sense of pride and belonging but also justify terrible acts. His framing of this concept is Durkheimian; he describes the civil religion as "collection of beliefs, symbols, and rituals with respect to sacred things and institutionalized in a collectivity." The American civil religion is distinct from existing "capital-R" religions, like Christianity, Judaism, or Islam, because it has its own distinct classification of sacred and profane as well as unique symbols and rituals. For example, the American flag and national cemeteries are prominent symbols of America, and the pledge of allegiance and Memorial Day are two associated rituals. Bellah argues that civil religion is often prominent in political contexts. Many elected presidents have made a reference to God in their inaugural address, usually by indicating a commitment to follow God's will or to God's special and active interest in America. He explicitly claims that this usage is not an empty appeal to constituents or an attempt to collapse church and state; rather, it indicates the existence of a civil religion and its ability to drive unity and solidarity. This explains why the imagery and language of a higher power are so often used in wartime or imperialistic contexts - much like any other religion, the American civil religion is powerful in its ability to make its followers rally around a cause - to create solidarity. Ultimately, Bellah is insistent that the American civil religion be recognized and analyzed in its own right, rather than cynically dismissed or simply equivocated with Christianity. 

We can use Bellah's conceptualization of the American civil religion to argue that the photo above is purposefully religious and meant to inspire solidarity. Let’s consider the most prominently American symbol in the photo: the bald eagle. Bald eagles have been the national bird of the United States since 1782, when they were placed on the seal of the United States. The symbology of the bald eagle is incredibly common, not only on the seals of several government agencies, but also on US currency. Consider a quarter or a one dollar bill - bald eagles appear on both. Clearly, under Bellah's definition, the bald eagle is a sacred symbol in the American civil religion. But what does that have to do with this photo? Well, let’s ask why an aspiring president would go to the trouble of having a bald eagle in a photograph with him. It says nothing about his political competence. However, it is nevertheless an intentional decision, meant to connect Trump with revered figures of American mythology and write himself into that mythology in the minds of voters. The bald eagle is an instantly recognizable symbol that can spark sentiments of pride and hope in Americans, thus allowing for connection across myriad groups of people. In a way, this photo acts as a presentation of his candidacy for a key figure of the American civil religion as much as his candidacy for president. Overall, Trump’s appeal to the American public through this photograph is not solely political, and relies heavily on the well-established civil religion. Thus, we can use Robert Bellah’s ideas to analyze this image in a sociological fashion.

References:
Bellah, Robert N. 1967. "Civil Religion in America." Daedalus 96(1):1-21. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20027022 

Cuffia, Ashley. 2019. “The Bald Eagle, Creature of Nature and an American Symbol.” Library of Congress BLOGS, June 27. Retrieved March 27, 2024 (https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2019/06/the-bald-eagle-creature-of-nature-and-an-american-symbol/).

Laurent, Olivier. 2015. “Behind TIME’s Cover Shoot with Donald Trump and an American Bald Eagle.” TIME Magazine, August 20. Retrieved March 26, 2024 (https://time.com/4003904/donald-trump-bald-eagle/).

Schoeller, Martin. 2015. From time.com. Retrieved March 26, 2024 (https://time.com/4003904/donald-trump-bald-eagle/).