Why are jackasses and elephants used to symbolise US Democrats and Republicans? / myLot

Rockingham, Australia

September 27, 2024 9:14pm CST

After reading about Woodrow Wilson being advised against riding on an elephant in Ringlings Circus, I wanted to know why elephants and jackasses symbolise the Republican and Democrat political parties of the USA. If American readers know all this, please forgive me but maybe it’s news to some of you too. The donkey and elephant symbols have been around since the 19th century. Opponents of Andrew Jackson in 1828 called him a jackass. Rather than refute the label, Jackson embraced it and included donkey images on his campaign posters. Cartoonist, Thomas Nast, used both the donkey and the elephant in his influential political cartoons in the 1870s. It wasn’t long before other cartoonists were using the two animals to symbolise the two parties. The photos are of donkeys in the sanctuary in Devon, England.

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9 responses

@dgobucks226 (37621)

•

29 Sep 24

Despite his angry abrasive sharp temper image Jackson had a sense of humor, lol. Choosing an elephant as their symbol was a good idea by the Republicans. It could represent strength. Thomas Nast was a supporter of the Republican Party, so perhaps he was putting the party in a good light with that choice. All speculation of course...

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Judy Evans

@JudyEv (382693)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Sep 24

It's interesting how some names/symbols stick, isn't it?

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@dgobucks226 (37621)

•

30 Sep 24

@JudyEv I know! Interesting post. I never knew the reasons.

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Ron Rybs

@Ronrybs (21492)

• London, England

28 Sep 24

I knew they used them as party symbols, but didn't know why

1 person likes this

Judy Evans

@JudyEv (382693)

• Rockingham, Australia

29 Sep 24

These things intrigue me from time to time.

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Ron Rybs

@Ronrybs (21492)

• London, England

30 Sep 24

@JudyEv same here

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rebelann1949

@rebelann (117284)

• El Paso, Texas

9 Oct 24

Andrew Jackson was an A**hole, he wanted to obliterate ALL Native Americans. Too call him an A**hole is an insult to the donkey. As for elephant, I'm not sure what the reason was for that one. Both parties are idjits in my opinion

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Judy Evans

@JudyEv (382693)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Oct 24

Politicians don't have a good name in our country either.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (502956)

• Italy

28 Sep 24

I did not know, but I found a very interesting article about this topic

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/why-democrats-are-donkeys-republicans-are-elephants-artsy/index.html

edition.cnn.com

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/why-democrats-are-donkeys-republicans-are-elephants-artsy/index.html

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Judy Evans

@JudyEv (382693)

• Rockingham, Australia

28 Sep 24

Thanks for the link. It was really interesting to read how cartoons were viewed differently in those days.

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Anna

@LadyDuck (502956)

• Italy

28 Sep 24

@JudyEv I enjoyed the articles, it is interesting to know how cartoons were viewed in those days.

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LindaOH

@LindaOHio (222986)

• United States

28 Sep 24

Thank you for the post. The donkeys are adorable. Have a good weekend.

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Judy Evans

@JudyEv (382693)

• Rockingham, Australia

28 Sep 24

We really enjoyed visiting that sanctuary. There were hundreds of donkeys there.

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LindaOH

@LindaOHio (222986)

• United States

28 Sep 24

@JudyEv That's really cool. I would love to pet some.

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Some Witch

@somewitch (1466)

•

30 Sep 24

Donkeys! They're adorable, like a mix between cows and horses. I've never seen a spotted donkey, until now. It vaguely resembles a calf.

Sad they got such a bad reputation, but it was nice to know a little more about the symbols of the largest political parties of the US. Thanks for sharing.

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Judy Evans

@JudyEv (382693)

• Rockingham, Australia

1 Oct 24

Donkeys have a very hard life in some countries. Some of their reputation isn't really deserved.

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