How the Democratic Donkey and the Republican Elephant came to be

The donkey and elephant symbols play a significant role in U.S. elections and have represented the two major political parties since the 19th century. In recent times, these symbols continue to be used by the parties. For instance, in the 2024 Democratic National Convention, the donkey was spot on merchandise on sale at the party's website.

The origins of these symbols date back over a century to political cartoons and the nature of American politics at that time. The use of the donkey and elephant symbols in U.S. politics is rooted in political cartoons from that period, with the donkey symbolizing the Democratic Party and the elephant symbolizing the Republican Party since 1853.

In 1828, during his presidential campaign, Democratic leader Andrew Jackson's opponents referred to him as a "jackass," which he later embraced to symbolize steadfastness and determination. Jackson portrayed the donkey as steadfast, hardworking, strong-willed, and determined, rather than as foolish, slow, and stubborn.

Renowned American political cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840-1902) is credited with popularizing the depiction of the Democratic and Republican parties as a donkey and an elephant, respectively, reinforcing their political philosophies and ideologies. In a cartoon published in Harper's Weekly magazine in 1870, Thomas Nast depicted a donkey kicking a dead lion, titled "A Live Donkey Kicking a Dead Lion!" In this cartoon, the donkey represented a faction of Democrats that Nast disliked, while the dead lion represented Edwin Stanton, a former secretary of Abraham Lincoln, whom the Democrats had criticized.

In 1874, Thomas Nast published a cartoon titled "The Third Term Panic" that forever linked the donkey and elephant as symbols of their respective parties. The New York Herald, which was backing several Democratic candidates during the mid-terms, spread the rumor that Republican President Ulysses Grant was planning to run for a third term in 1876, which was not legal until the 22nd Amendment was enforced. Although running for a third term was not illegal at that time, it raised various concerns about Grant, including fears of potential overreach.

In response to the New York Herald's rumors about President Ulysses S. Grant seeking a third term, Thomas Nast drew the Herald as a donkey disguised as a lion, inspired by Aesop's Fable "The Ass in the Lion's Skin." The cartoon depicted the New York Herald as a donkey wrapped in a lion's skin, scaring the other animals of the jungle. Among the scared animals in Nast's illustration was a large, clumsy elephant labeled "the Republican vote," which looked as though it was about to tumble off a cliff, symbolizing clumsiness and fear within the Republican Party.

Thomas Nast's personal preference for the Republican Party was well-known. According to CNN, "Like the best satirists, he ridiculed his own side almost as gleefully as he did his opponents' - and so, he reimagined the GOP (Grand Old Party or Republican Party) as a weak, panicky creature that was constantly lumbering off in the wrong direction, its size more of a liability than an asset."

The elephant was often depicted in Thomas Nast's cartoons as a massive and formidable creature representing the Republican Party, a kinder representation than the Democrats' donkey. There were advertisements promoting the GOP with the slogan "see the elephant," an obscure bit of Civil War slang that roughly translates to "fight bravely."

Over time, the donkey and elephant symbols have become ingrained in American political culture. According to John Grinspan, a curator at the Smithsonian American History Museum, these images became popular at a time when voter loyalty to political parties was very high. Another curator, Lisa Kathleen Grady, said that over time, the "ferocity" given to the animals softened with the decrease in political divisions. She stated, "They have become much more rounded physically, they have soft, rounded edges. They don't wreak havoc as much anymore; they can back up, kick, or raise their trunk, but they are not violent animals anymore."

As polarization is yet again witnessed in U.S. politics, these depictions could change once more. Grady noted that because polarization is being seen again in American politics, the images of the donkey and elephant may change.

The elephant symbol is officially used by the Republicans on their verified social media channels. While the donkey was not prominently featured by Democrats as the elephant is by the Republicans, in the 2024 Democratic National Convention, the donkey was spot on merchandise on sale at the party's website. In 1985, New York Magazine reported that the Democratic Party was trying to drop the donkey symbol, but there is little evidence that both Democrats and Republicans have tried to fully shun the animal symbols. The Democratic Party's press secretary, Terry Michael, at that time said the party was not instructing officials to refrain from using the donkey symbol, thus it is still used today by the Democratic Party.

Thomas Nast is also known for shaping the popular image of Santa Claus as a bearded man in red clothes. He was not the first artist to compare Republicans to elephants, and the elephant symbol was not beyond criticism in his cartoons.

The donkey and elephant symbols continue to be significant in U.S. elections, representing the two major political parties since the 19th century. These symbols reflect the enduring legacy of Thomas Nast's political cartoons and the historical narratives they captured.

Sources: OneIndia, News18, Jansatta

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq