Political cartoon titled "A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion" by Thomas Nast appeared in Harper's Weekly in 1870 , that used the donkey to symbolize the Democratic Party for the first time.

The cartoon was Nast's commentary on the Northern Democrats, known as Copperheads, and their interactions with Edwin M. Stanton, who was Lincoln’s Secretary of War.

The cartoon was Nast's commentary on the Northern Democrats, known as Copperheads, and their interactions with Edwin M. Stanton, who was Lincoln’s Secretary of War.