(Ref: Thomas Nast's famous political cartoon)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/NastRepublicanElephant.jpg
The Donkey was NOT being used here to represent the Democratic Party!
He is an ASS representing the NY Herald newspaper!
- The NY Times is shown as a unicorn (about right)
- Other NY press are shown as confused or frightened (NY World owl, NY Tribune giraffe)
- "Honi soit qui mal y pense" is used here to ironically insinuate the presence of hidden agendas or conflicts of interest
- The Temperance movement is an ostrich with it's head in the ground
- The Democrats are represented as a timid Fox resting on a Reform plank (but, they are "reforms" according to his Tammany Hall bosses)
- A panicked Republican elephant is stomping about wildly (this cartoon served as the origin of the Elephant as the party's symbol)
- The planks represent ineffective solutions over a Black Hole of "Chaos" then facing the country, including:
- nativism
- rapid immigration
- Anti-Catholic fears
- Repudiation
- Home Rule/"white man's" government
- post-war Southern Claims
- Reconstruction
- Demon Rum (got to blame something)
- an unpopular Congressional pay raise
- the Panic of 1873 financial crisis (it used to be called the Great Depression until 1930)
- economic inflation
- and the rise of global protectionism.
Thomas Nast's caption: "An Ass, having put on the Lion's skin, roamed about in the Forest, and amused himself by frightening all the foolish Animals he met with his wanderings."
- Shakespeare of Bacon
originally published in Harper's Magazine 7 November 1874
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