Why is the Republican symbol an elephant? The Historical Journey and Significance

In the midst of the electoral campaign in the United States, many of us ask a recurring question: Why is the Republican symbol an elephant?

Delving into the Republican Party in the United States means getting closer to the history of this historic party, one of the longest-standing in the modern age of global politics.

Surely you’ve heard about many Republican Party events, perhaps you’ve attended some, and you’ll always notice that characteristic elephant at these activities.

Why is the Republican symbol an elephant?

Beyond the fact that each candidate handles their phrase or symbol in each campaign, the elephant is always present at Republican Party events.

Thus, we find that the main American political parties each have a symbol or mascot dating back to the 19th century.

Given their age, the stories of why the elephant and the donkey were adopted have practically been forgotten in the collective imagination.

Nevertheless, both owe their fame to the same person: Thomas Nast.

Incredibly, one person has influenced two symbols that have marked politics in the United States.

Table of Contents

The Republican Story: Why is the Republican symbol an elephant?

The Republican Party had its first encounter with the elephant symbol under the presidency of Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865), so if you thought this president was a Democrat, he was not.

During the American Civil War, the president used the image of the elephant on several posters.

This may be due to the fact that the expression “seeing the elephant” was used during the conflict to mean having gone into combat.

Also, during his presidency, Lincoln declined the offer from the King of Siam —modern-day Thailand— to send elephants to be bred on American soil.

But so far, these are just conjectures, so we are still waiting for the answer to the question: Why is the Republican symbol an elephant?

Some candidates manage their brand and style, as detailed in the following article: BANDAGING THE EAR IN SUPPORT OF TRUMP: REPUBLICAN FASHION.

Origin of the Elephant in the Republican Party

The most credible part of the whole story is that the true architect of the association between both parties and their corresponding symbols was Thomas Nast, an illustrator who worked as a cartoonist for Harper’s Weekly—a political magazine published from 1857 to 1916—at the end of the 19th century.

In 1874, Nast published the cartoon “Third Term Panic,” in which he criticized the political situation of the moment and the intentions of Republican President Ulysses S. Grant to run for a third term by comparing his party to an elephant.

This illustration is often credited with popularizing the pachyderm as the Republican symbol, as it evidently depicted this political organization as powerful and right-leaning.

While the donkey cartoon did not represent the Democrats, it was already associated with this party. Throughout his career, Nast would use these two animals to represent both political factions, a practice followed by other illustrators.

The History of the Elephant in the Republican Party

To understand Nast’s position better, it is essential to review the historical context of this illustrator and how he was influenced.

Historians have stated that Nast, who grew up in New York City in the 1840s and 50s, was fiercely bullied as a child.

In fact, two themes that run throughout his career are his disdainful contempt for bullies of all shapes and sizes and his compassion for their victims.

Today, “editorial cartoons” may recall deliberately simplistic images, the kind you can process in half a second while reading the news.

But in Nast’s case, they were dense cartoons meticulously labeled with news intended to be analyzed and discussed point by point; they were not positive at all.

Take “Third Term Panic,” the 1874 cartoon often credited with popularizing the elephant as the symbol of the Republican Party.

In the months leading up to the midterm elections, the New York Herald, while endorsing several Democratic candidates, was depicted by Nast as a donkey wrapped in a lion’s skin, scaring other animals with wild stories of a Grant dictatorship.

Among these animals is a huge elephant, labeled “The Republican Vote,” which appears to be about to fall off a cliff.

Like the best cartoonists, Nast ridiculed his own side almost as cheerfully as his opponents. Thus, he reimagined the Republican Party as a weak and scared creature that constantly lumbered in the wrong direction, its size more a liability than an asset.

In both cases, the two animals are depicted as weak, signaling how Nast viewed his Democratic party and the Republican adversaries.

In other words, if we were to interpret it, it could be said that he saw the Republican party as strong, enormous, and wealthy, yet very ordinary in its decisions.

On the other hand, he viewed the Democratic party, the party of the proletariat, as strong and rugged, but lacking clear ideas for facing the future. Thus, to the question, “Why is the Republican symbol an elephant?” there is now a clear and precise answer.

The Adoption of Mascots

However, both figures have been so widely accepted that for political organizations in the United States, it is a point of honor.

Millions of people in the United States display both figures as a sure way to demonstrate their might. In the case of the Democratic party, it tries to position itself with a sector that is rooted in its values towards the center-left, more liberal, with ideas that shape the social destiny of people.

Meanwhile, the conception of the elephant represents power and greatness but is also more aligned with powerful organizations leaning towards the private sector and the owners of large consortia.

Indeed, the profiles of each party’s presidents are tied to their origins and their way of understanding the world. Moreover, it shows that the Republican Party’s base pursues ideals more related to the economy, something that is easier to offer.

Colors: Why is the Republican symbol an elephant?

The Republican Party was established in 1854 and is characterized by the color red and a conservative ideology, favoring free-market and right-wing policies.

Regarding ideology, the Republican Party focuses on conservative proposals aimed at preserving traditions, a liberal economic system, anti-communism, and American exceptionalism.

For some reason, still not fully understood, the color red today identifies the Republicans, and it seems that this division of colors dates back to its foundation, but it is actually an era that began with the advent of color television, according to information from the Smithsonian magazine.

Election Custom

During elections, Americans are accustomed to seeing their TV screens filled with red states won by the Republican Party and blue states won by the Democratic Party.

However, some years ago, the colors of both parties were the opposite of what they are today.

In 1976, NBC painted the states won by Jimmy Carter (Democrat) in red and those won by Gerald Ford (Republican) in blue.

Additionally, in 1980, journalist David Brinkley remarked on NBC that the map of the United States looked like “a swimming pool” following the landslide victory of Republican Ronald Reagan. That victory turned most states blue, according to Vox.

This color scheme was likely based on the political system in England, which used the color red to identify the more liberal party.

But in 1996, the colors aligned to what we know today: red for Republicans and blue for Democrats.

Four years later, in 2000, they were generally adopted. In those elections, newspapers like the New York Times and USA Today published their first electoral maps with the current colors.

From then on, this representation of the parties has become ingrained in everyone’s mind.

So by now, you surely have the answer to “Why is the Republican symbol an elephant?”.

As you can see, the influence of the media has marked a before and after in the way political parties are conceived.