Every year, at a ceremony at the White House, the American president pardons a turkey. Instead of becoming part of a Thanksgiving dinner in the United States, the bird's life is saved. Stories on the origins of the presidential turkey pardon are numerous. Some of these stories date back to the presidency of Abraham Lincoln during the U.S. Civil War. Edward Lengel is the chief historian of the White House Historical Association. He had a son named Ted, who joked with Abraham Lincoln about his pet turkey that he had, who was strolling around the voting booths in 1864. And Abraham Lincoln asked him why is he strutting around. Is he (the turkey) here to vote? The boy answered that his turkey could not vote because he was too young. Therefore, Lengel said, Abraham Lincoln pardoned his turkey and forgave him the possibility of being killed for the Thanksgiving table.
