Today in History - 1870

A cartoon by Thomas Nast, titled, A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion, appeared on this day in Harper's Weekly. The cartoon used the donkey to symbolize the Democratic Party.

The donkey reference originally stems from Andrew Jackson. When he ran for president in 1828, his opponents tried to label him a "jackass" for his populist views and his slogan, "Let the people rule." Jackson, however, picked up on their name calling and turned it to his own advantage by using the donkey on his campaign posters.

[Also, today is the anniversary of this event chronicled in an earlier BBB entry.]