Why are a donkey and an elephant the symbols of the Democratic and Republican Parties?

The donkey and the elephant are widely recognized symbols of the U.S. Democratic and Republican Parties. But what do animals have to do with politics, and how do cartoons fit in?

Alabama Claims

Alabama Claims, claims entered against Great Britain by the United States for destruction of shipping by Confederate cruisers built or armed in Britain during the Civil War.

Andersonville Prison

Andersonville Prison, a Confederate military prison for captured Union Army soldiers, located at Andersonville, Georgia.

Booth (family)

Booth, the name of a family of actors. Two of the Booths were among the most brilliant actors of the 19th century.

Bushwackers

Bushwackers, a term applied during the Civil War to guerrilla fighters of the Confederate army.

Confederate States of America

Confederate States of America, often called The Confederacy, the 11 Southern states that declared their secession from the Union at the beginning of the Civil War.

Dixie

Dixie, a word used to designate the South in the United States. Among the theories as to its origin are: (1) It somehow bears a reference to Dixon of Mason and Dixon's Line.

Draft Riots

Draft Riots, in New York City, the most violent of a series of outbreaks against the Conscription Act of 1863 during the Civil War.

Grand Army of the Republic

Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), an organization formed by Union veterans of the Civil War.

Hampton Roads Conference

Hampton Roads Conference, February 3, 1865, a four-hour meeting between Northern and Southern leaders in an attempt to end the American Civil War.

How the Gettysburg Address Worked

The Gettysburg Address was only about 300 words long -- Lincoln delivered it in about two minutes. But somehow, it changed the way we view our government, our country and our society.

John Caldwell Calhoun

Calhoun, John C. (Caldwell) (1782–1850), a United States statesman and orator. He was Vice President under John Quincy Adams (1825–29) and Andrew Jackson (1829–32).

Libby Prison

Libby Prison, a Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, where captured Union officers were held during the Civil War.

Mary E. Walker

Walker, Mary Edwards (1832–1919), a United States physician and women's rights crusader.

Mason and Dixon's Line

Mason and Dixon's Line, or Mason-Dixon Line, in United States history, the symbolic dividing line between the North and the South.