The symbols of our American political parties: The donkey and the elephant
By Tania Dooley
The history of the donkey representing the Democratic party goes back to the 1828 presidential campaigns of Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams. In this campaign, the opposing party called Jackson a "jackass" which was meant to be an insult, but instead of succumbing to it, Jackson embraced it and made it part of his campaign. According to Business Insider (2014) in his campaign speeches Jackson pointed out the virtues of being a "jackass" or donkey which were "persistence, loyalty, and the ability to carry a heavy load" and thus became known as the "choice for everyday citizens."
Next came the Republican party being symbolized by an elephant. The earliest connection is Abraham Lincoln's campaign using it because during the Civil War "seeing the elephant" meant "engaging in combat" (TodayIFoundout.com, 2014). It wasn't until a famous political cartoonist, Thomas Nast published a cartoon of the elephant in Harper's Weekly that it gained national attention. (HarpWeek.com, n.d.).
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| Image credit: Jon Sailor via Unsplash |
All over the world the American flag stands as a symbol of democracy. Within the United States there are also other symbols with as much importance. They are the ones that represent the two main political parties of our government, the donkey and the elephant representing the Democratic and Republican party respectively. People proudly display what side they're on through stickers, buttons, and flags. As we wrap up the election of 2020, here is a short history on the symbols for the Republican and Democratic party.
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Image Credit: Ron Hansen via Unsplash |
The history of the donkey representing the Democratic party goes back to the 1828 presidential campaigns of Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams. In this campaign, the opposing party called Jackson a "jackass" which was meant to be an insult, but instead of succumbing to it, Jackson embraced it and made it part of his campaign. According to Business Insider (2014) in his campaign speeches Jackson pointed out the virtues of being a "jackass" or donkey which were "persistence, loyalty, and the ability to carry a heavy load" and thus became known as the "choice for everyday citizens."
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| Image Credit: AJ Robbie via Unsplash |
Recommended videos:
Business Insider. (2016). The origins of the political party logos. Retrieved November 3, 2020 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxe-9XgtQ44
ABC News. (2016). Why an elephant for Republicans? Retrieved November 2, 2020 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C39efddpdJw
References
Blitz, Matt. (2014). Business Insider. Why donkeys and elephants are symbols of America's political parties. Retrieved November 11, 2020 from https://www.businessinsider.com/symbols-of-democrat-and-republican-party-2014-4
Blitz, Matt. (2014). Today I found out. Retrieved November 3, 2020 from http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/04/donkey-elephant-come-represent-u-s-political-parties/
HarpWeek.com. First use of Republican elephant. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2020 from https://elections.harpweek.com/1864/cartoon-1864-Medium.asp?UniqueID=4&Year=
