Republican Elephants

Illustrations of red white and blue elephants

Cartoonist Thomas Nash invented the Republican Party symbol, the elephant, for a cartoon published in Harper's Weekly in 1874. The cartoon depicted a donkey, who was dressed as a lion, scaring the other zoo animals including an elephant labeled "The Republican Vote." Since that cartoon was published, the elephant has been a symbol of the Republican Party due to the fact that the animal is perceived as strong and dignified.

The Republican Party, or Grand Old Party (GOP), is one of the two major political parties within the United States of America. Beginning in the Northern states, the party preserved the Union and promoted the abolishment of slavery and provided equal rights to all men.  Anti-slavery advocates and other conservatives founded the Republican Party.  Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican President of the United States in 1860.