Washington. Every Election Day in the United States, images of donkeys and elephants appear in political cartoons, campaign buttons, internet memes, and some truly shocking fashion choices. Of these, the donkey represents the Democratic Party while the other represents the Republican Party. Still, most people would be surprised to learn that both political symbols were popularized and given their modern forms by the same eccentric cartoonist. His name was Thomas Nast. During his time at Harper’s Weekly from 1862 to 1886, he became America’s first major political cartoonist and one of its sharpest satirists.

He has shown the Civil War, the folly of American Reconstruction, immigration and, above all, the political machine. Nast was hardly the first satirist to compare humans to animals. The story of the donkey in the lion’s skin goes back to Aesop. Nor was he the first artist to compare Republicans to elephants. While Nast often portrayed the Democratic Party as an ass. But thanks to Nast, the elephant and the donkey are still alive in America’s political spectacle. To this day, the elephant remains the official symbol of the Republican Party.

Democrats do not consider the donkey to be their official symbol
However, the Democrats have not yet announced their own symbol. Still, you don’t have to walk more than two steps into one of their gatherings to spot a donkey. It’s a little strange that both major American political parties adopt their mascots so enthusiastically. Perhaps he was aware of Nast’s joke and decided that the appropriate response would be to make fun of himself.

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Battle of elephant and donkey symbols
Seen this way, the battle between the two political parties in America is symbolically seen as a battle between an elephant and a donkey. In fact, the Republican Party was so strong during the Thomas Nast era that it was portrayed as an elephant. After the Civil War, however, the situation of the Democratic Party was not good for a long time. That’s why he was depicted as a donkey trying to challenge the elephant.

Tags: Republican Party, US election, US elections