Unit 2: Make America Vote Again (Tle G1)

Political Icons

The document under study is an extract from SpeakeasyNews, published on October 22^nd , 2024.

We have learned that there are main symbols for both political parties in the USA. The symbol of the donkey associated to the Democratic Party appeared during the 1828 presidential campaign of Andrew Jackson. It was first used to mock his populist ideas. In fact, his opponents used to call him a “jackass” also because of his stubbornness. Nevertheless, he decided to use this insult as a way to promote his determination to be elected. Eventually, the Democrats decided to use this symbol to show that they could not be manipulated by anyone.

The symbol of the elephant connected to the Republican Party appeared during the Civil War in the 1860s. At the time, an elephant was drawn in a newspaper to illustrate the victory of the Union. On top of that, for soldiers the elephant is a symbol of strength and victory in wars.

Thomas Nast was the political cartoonist who made those symbols popular: it was thanks to him that the elephant was linked to the Republican Party and the Donkey to the Democratic one, in 1874 he made a drawing to represent both of the parties through these symbols.

To conclude, these symbols still matter today because they are connected to the American history and illustrate the ideologies of both political parties.

Homework: Learn the lesson.