Thomas Nast may not be well-known in textbooks today, however the artist from the latter half of the 1800's helped define modern American culture, such as when popularizing the symbolic Republican elephant, Democratic donkey, Uncle Sam and dear old Santa Claus. In addition to establishing various iconic images, Nast's artwork strengthened Abraham Lincoln's abolitionist reforms, secured Republican Ulysses S. Grant's place in office, and simulated the downfall of New York's corrupt politician Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall. Through editorial cartoons, he affected even slightly illiterates' opinions about slavery and governmental corruption in conjunction to defending rights for African Americans, Native Americans and Chinese immigrants.
Not to be forgotten in history, this situation urges exploration on the an individual whose drawings capture first-person views on the late 1800s, Thomas Nast.
