Although the Founders hoped that political parties would not be a permanent part of the political landscape early on, parties quickly developed. Today’s national Democratic and Republican political parties play a crucial role in determining how Congress operates, especially the majority party in the House of Representatives. This cartoon shows the Republican party, sometimes called the G.O.P. (Grand Old Party), and represented by an elephant, and the Democratic Party as commonly represented by a donkey. The two parties always jockey for influence with the voters and for control of Congress.
This cartoon was drawn by Clifford Berryman, one of Washington, DC’s best-known cartoonists in the early to mid-1900s. Berryman drew for the Washington Post and Evening Star newspapers. His cartoons touched on a variety of subjects including politics, elections, and both World Wars.
