Introduction
During every United States Presidential election, people see political cartoons illustrating the Republican Party as an elephant and the Democratic Party as a donkey. These animals are also used in internet memes and political videos on YouTube. People start wondering how and when these animals come to be associated with the two major American political parties.
Come, let us explore to know the story behind the animal logos of American political parties.
Animal Logos of American Political Parties
The animal logos of the Republican and Democratic parties are as popular as the cartoon figures of Santa Claus and Uncle Sam. Reliable sources on the internet say all these popular logos—elephant, donkey, Santa Claus, and Uncle Sam—were the creation of the same unconventional cartoonist, Thomas Nast (1840-1902). Unlike the line cartoons of today, Thomas Nast’s cartoons are intricate drawings with excellent shading and caricatures.
The caricaturist Thomas Nast is often believed to be the Father of the American Cartoon. Thomas Nast was related to the Harper’s Weekly magazine. Please visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Nast to learn more about Thomas Nast and his works.
The Democratic Party of the United States was created in 1828. As per the historians, the Democratic Party was initially organized in the late 1820s when the war hero Andrew Jackson of Tennessee won the presidency. Andrew Jackson was the first president of the Democratic Party, 7th President of the United States, and was president from 1829 to 1837. The members of the Democratic Party are called ‘Democrats’ or ‘Dems.’
The most general logo associated with the Democratic Party has been the donkey. It appears that the opponents of Andrew Jackson distorted his name to ‘jackass’. But, the then Democrats liked the logo as it depicts the implications of the common man. Also, a donkey is known for its hard work, and dedication. So, for Democrats, the donkey represents hard work, and dedication to the country. This is how the animal donkey came to be associated with the Democratic Party. The Democratic animal donkey was extensively used by Thomas Nast in his illustrations and cartoons in Harper’s Weekly. The later cartoonists followed Thomas Nast and used the animals donkey and elephant to represent the Democratic and Republican parties. Please visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_(United_States) to learn more bout the history of the Democratic Party.
The Republican Party is the other major political party in the United States and it is often called the GOP or Grand Old Party. Republican Party was established in 1854 and Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States and held the office from 1861 to 1865. Thomas Nast was proud to support Abraham Lincoln and his Republican Party.
The Republican Party is traditionally represented by the animal elephant. Cartoonist Thomas Nast was the first to use the animal elephant to prominently depict the Republican Party in his political cartoon published in Harper’s Weekly in November 1874.
Since the 2000 presidential election, the color red has been associated with the Republican Party and blue with the Democratic Party. The American Media extensively used these colors during the election period. Please visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_(United_States) to learn more about the history of the Republican party.
Please visit https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/why-democrats-are-donkeys-republicans-are-elephants-artsy/index.html to see a few cartoons of Thomas Nast along with its brief.
You may watch this and this YouTube Video.
Conclusion
The cartoonists of the old and present eras have been using the animal logos of elephant and donkey to represent the Republican and Democratic Parties. It appears that the Democrats have not openly accepted donkey as the logo of their party.
The presidential candidates of the present time get their own logos made and use them during the campaign.
You may like to read the following articles:
Who Elects the President of the United States
Indian PM Election V/S American Presidential Election
How does the Electoral College work in America
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_(United_States)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_(United_States)