why are the American party symbols a donkey and an elephant? how did that come about?

Answer 1

What is the origin of the donkey and the elephant as the symbols of the Republican and Democratic Party? How did the parties select these mascots?

They didn't pick them - they got stuck with them! Their origin as symbols for the parties is attributed to a political cartoonist, Thomas Nast, who used the donkey and the elephant in cartoons drawn for Harper's Weekly in the 1870's. Why Nast chose the donkey and the elephant is a pretty complicated story, and requires some understanding of the politics of that day.

Nast combined these two symbols together for the first time in an 1874 cartoon for Harper's Weekly, called "The Third Term Panic." He drew a donkey disguised in a lion-skin, trying to scare away the animals in a forest. One of the animals frightened by the donkey's roar was an elephant - a symbol for Republican voters, who were abandoning President Ulysses S. Grant's quest for a 3rd term, and in Nast's view, were falling into a trap set by the Democrats. You can see the original Nast cartoon on this website:
http://libweb5.princeton.edu/Visual_Materials/gallery/nast/nast1l.html

The cartoon was based on a scandal of the day - a hoax which had been foisted on its readers by the New York Herald newspaper. The Herald ran a deliberately false story about animals breaking out of the zoo and foraging for food throughout Central Park. Around the same time, the Herald was running a series of editorials against a 3rd term for President Ulysses S. Grant, calling the possibility "Caesarism." In Nast's cartoon, the donkey disguised as a lion is roaring out "Caesarism," and scaring away the elephant. The donkey was a stand-in for the Democratic-leaning Herald newspaper, and the elephant stood for the Republican party.

Other cartoonists of the time picked up the idea of the timid elephant representing Republicans, and that symbol for the party became widely recognized and accepted by the general public. Nast's cartoon showing a duplicitous donkey attacking a weak-minded elephant, became a handy symbol for other cartoonists wanting to represent Democrats attacking Republicans.

Popular recognition of the image overrode the party's own wishes - the Democratic party has never officially adopted the donkey as its emblem, but came to accept the reality that the symbol had stuck. The donkey had been used earlier in our history as a political symbol. In the 1828 presidential campaign, Andrew Jackson was labeled a "jackass," for his populist views. Jackson proudly seized the label and began using donkeys on his campaign posters. During his presidency, cartoonists sometimes used the donkey to illustrate President Jackson's stubbornness on certain issues. After Jackson, the donkey symbol largely faded, only to be revived again by Thomas Nast in his 1870's cartoons.

Over time, Republicans came to view the elephant emblem as a sign of strength and intelligence, and officially adopted it as their emblem, while their opponents portrayed it as a timid and clumsy behemoth. Democrats seized the "jackass" label, and transformed it into a clever and courageous donkey. As is still true today, it's all in the spin!

Answer 2

They originated in newspaper cartoons of the 1800s, and the symbols became so well known and popular that the political parties decided to adopt the symbols (the donkey for Democrats, the elephant for Republicans) as their logos.

Answer 3

The long post has it right; I just want to add that the "donkey in the lion skin" episode is based on one of Aesop's fables. The donkey is ignorant and noisy but dressed up like a lion others are afraid of him--temporarily until they realise who it really is, and that he doesn't have sharp teeth or claws.

Answer 4

Just wanted to say that "Igottheanswers" got them backwards and that you should be pretty embarrassed because you called yourself a "donkey."

Answer 5

the republican sign is a donkey 'cause they r

a s s e s

democrats r elephants 'cause we r big lol

Answer 6

All I know is your president is an a*ss, and the competition is just lumbering around in the background.

Answer 7

Thank you MA A. I will keeps this for my files.

Answer 8

The Yanks do like a fake smile.So they give each other one.While
they screw each other.

Answer 9

because they are the party animals of the animal kingdom

Answer 10

in those days most americans where either stupid and stubborn
or extremely fat and long-living .