Most people are aware of the Democratic donkey and the Republican elephant as political symbols, but have you ever wondered how these particular animals came to be associated with their respective parties?
The symbol of the Democratic donkey dates back to 1828, when Andrew Jackson ran for president. Jackson turned the tables on his opponents who labelled him a "jackass" when he used a donkey on his campaign posters. Subsequently, the donkey became associated with Jackson and the Democratic Party throughout his administration. After Jackson's presidency, political cartoonist Thomas Nast took Jackson to task for attempting to still lead his party by depicting him as struggling to lead an unwilling donkey.
Nast was also inadvertently the creator of the Republican elephant. A cartoon he created for Harper's Weekly in 1874 featured a donkey in lion's skin, bearing the label "Caesarism" and scaring zoo animals. An elephant running away was depicted as the Republican vote. Other cartoonists quickly picked up the symbol as well and from that time the elephant was used most frequently to represent the Republican vote, although Republicans themselves appeared as anything from lions, bears, foxes or sheep throughout the early 1870s.
After the Electoral College controversy of 1877, when Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was elected President, Nast took the qualifying word "vote" from the elephant's label and it became the last animal he used to represent the Republican Party. During the 1880 election, other political cartoonists followed Nast's lead in using the elephant and the donkey as party symbols; they have been associated with each party ever since.
Perspective plays a large part in how the Republican elephant and the Democratic donkey are viewed by their parties. While the Republican Party views donkey as stupid and stubborn, the Democratic Party considers it as humble, hard working and courageous. Democrats see the elephant as slow, pompous and bungling, but Republicans think of the elephant as intelligent, dignified and strong.
Today the Democratic Party uses several variations of the donkey as the party symbol, but has yet to officially adopt it. The Republican Party on the other hand, has been more open in their adoption of the symbol and uses it widely in their publications and campaign designs.
 | Even though Thanksgiving dominates the list of November holidays, other holidays include the Mexican Dia de los Muertos and Veterans Day. |
 | Often confused with Flag Day or Memorial Day, the history of Veterans Day focuses on honoring living veterans rather than those who have fallen, and this important holiday deserves to be more widely recognized and celebrated. |
 | The day set aside for citizens of the United States to elect public officials is called Election Day. Learn about the history of Election Day and why we have a specific day designated for such an important democratic process. |
Whether you are following a presidential election or your state representatives are being decided, you can track all the latest results with an Election Day party. |
In the United States, the Sadie Hawkins Dance is an event usually sponsored by a high school or middle school, for which the girls ask the boys to attend the dance with them. The idea is wildly popular for girls who enjoy taking the initiative, rather than waiting around to be asked to a dance. |
