The elephant has been described as patient, wise and an animal with a terrific memory and the donkey is known to be reliable, strong and well ... stubborn.
Neither animal seems to be on the receiving end of constant praise however, so it makes you wonder why they are the symbols of our biggest political parties?
Basically, it wasn't their choice.
It was back in the 1800s when the two parties, trying to define themselves, were defined often times in political cartoons. The cartoons were a powerful source of criticism and humor in the press. Famous cartoonist Thomas Nast seized on the animals as identities for both in the 1870s.
But the donkey had already been linked to the Democrats.
"It actually came out during President (Andrew) Jackson's administration in the 1830s and stood for his stubbornness in part in not wanting to charter a national bank," said Susan Sterett, a political science professor at the University of Denver. "Donkeys stood for that very effectively, kicking down the idea of a national bank."
President Jackson as head of the Democratic Party embraced the idea and didn't mind at all.
Move forward about 30 years to 1874. Cartoonist Thomas Nast's work was popular around the country for its biting sarcasm and creative candor.
"There was a hoax in New York City about a bunch of animals escaping from the zoo and running all over Central Park and Thomas Nast used that hoax," Sterett said.
That's when Nast picked the elephant and the donkey and put them in a cartoon together. It showed the elephant running away from a donkey dressed in a lion's skin which was a reference to fears for Republicans from Democrats at the time.
Republicans began to embrace their image. Today the elephant is their official symbol.
The donkey has never been declared the Democratic Party's symbol but it's been used widely over the years by the party.
And there's one other interesting piece of trivia in Colorado.
Supporters of pack-burro racing claim it's Colorado's only indigenous sport. It was started in Fairplay in 1949 to give the town's "Gold Rush Days" event another attraction.
No comments:
Post a Comment