Why Are Republicans Represented By Elephants
The Republican Party's traditional symbol is an elephant. According to the Republicans, an elephant is strong and dignified, which is part of what the party advocate for. As American as an elephant? Donkeys and elephants may be ubiquitous in US politics today, but they weren't always mascots for Democrats and Republicans.
Most Americans would be surprised to learn that both political symbols - the donkey for Democrats and the elephant for Republicans - were popularized by the same maverick cartoonist: Thomas Nast. Nast employed the elephant to represent Republicans in additional cartoons during the 1870s, and by 1880 other cartoonists were using the creature to symbolize the party. The symbols tied to the Republican and Democratic parties (the elephant and donkey) have actually been around for more than 100 years.
List of Republican Presidents - WorldAtlas
Ever wonder why political debates, election rallies, and campaign merch all feature donkeys and elephants? It may seem random, but these two creatures have long represented the United States' major political parties: the donkey for Democrats and the elephant for Republicans. The donkey and the elephant are widely recognized symbols of the U.S. Democratic and Republican parties.
But what do animals have to do with politics, and how do cartoons fit in? The Republicans are represented by an elephant and the Democrats by a donkey - but where did these animal symbols come from? The animal mascots that represent the Democrats and Republicans were created over a century ago with color. The elephant had been associated with the Republican Party since it was shown celebrating Union victories in an advertisement that appeared in an 1864 issue of the newspaper Father Abraham.
