This is an accurate quote from the plaque at Old City Hall in Boston describing this sculpture: "When in 1828 Andrew Jackson established the Democatic Party and ran for the presidency using the populist slogan, "Let the people rule", his opponents thought him silly and labled him a "jackass." Jackson, however, picked up on their name calling and turned it to his advantage by using the donkey on his campaign posters.
Over the years this donkey has become the accepted symbol of the Democratic Party." There are bronze footprints facing the donkey for Republicans who want to 'stand in opposition'. The symbol of the elephant to represent the Republicans came out of the creative imagination of a Harper's cartoonist much later. I'm a Canadian - I had always wondered.
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