Elephant and donkey: Why these symbols are used in US politics

• Published date: 09 November 2022
• Publication title: Philippines News agency

The two main political parties in the United States are symbolized by two distinct animals: an elephant for Republicans and donkey for Democrats.

The two animals appear every election cycle, with illustrations of donkeys and elephants showing up in countless political cartoons, campaign ads, and internet memes.

The reasoning behind both animals dates back to the 19th century, between 150 to 200 years ago.

During the 1828 presidential campaign for Andrew Jackson, who became the seventh US president, his opponents called him a jackass, which is a less-flattering term for a donkey.

Instead of rejecting the derogatory term, Jackson embraced it, and rather than be offended by the name-calling, he was amused by it and used the image of a donkey in his campaign posters.

Jackson went on to defeat incumbent John Quincy Adams to serve as America's first Democratic president using the jackass as the party's symbol.

However, it took several decades before the donkey became synonymous with the entire Democratic party when political cartoonist Thomas Nast helped popularize the animal by using it in his cartoons during the...