What’s in “the heart of every Native citizen”? Definitions of Americanness in the John-Donkey

This article explores the representations of ethnic and religious minorities in the United States during the 1840s through a critical analysis of the satirical magazine The John-Donkey. In a period of territorial expansion and political tensions, the publication conveys a discourse that employs the othering of Afro-descendants, European Catholic immigrants, and Indigenous peoples to support a specific political agenda tied to the 1848 elections. The article also highlights the complexity of discursive representations, which range from the bestialization of African Americans to the instrumental defense of Catholic immigrants and Indigenous people, used to criticize the Nativists and Whig candidate Zachary Taylor. Through a multimodal analysis that includes both texts and images, the study demonstrates how The John-Donkey influenced debates on American identity during a crucial period in its formation.