There has been much discussion, in some respects, about how the current tea party movement compares with the Boston Tea Party. There are several similarities that exist in association with which both environments created the situations that caused each movement. This article provides a better understanding of the reasons for both events and what each group hoped (or hopes) to accomplish. While the Boston Tea Party is a part of our history, the present Tea Party Movement will also be a part of our history. The recent election in 2010 exhibited some impact of the current Tea Party Movement. The Boston Tea Party also set the course for changes in the colonies which culminated in the Revolutionary War.
The Boston Tea Party was an event that culminated a resistance movement throughout British America against the Tea Act. The Tea Act initiated a tax which the colonists believed violated their rights. They were convinced that they should only be taxed by their own elected representatives. The issue of taxes was one of the key ingredients of the Revolutionary War, not only how taxes were initiated but who initiated them.
The present day tea party movement also has an issue with taxes. Basically the Tea Party Movement has no central leadership, but it is a grassroots activity much like the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Tea Party signified a grassroots movement wherein the colonies opposed taxes being levied from abroad rather than from their own elected officials. With the present day Tea Party Movement, while is has many different factions throughout the United States, the basic theme is the same. Among other things they want a simplified tax system along with reduced taxes.
Some individuals may feel that there is no relation between the Boston Tea Party and the present Tea Party Movement, but the relationship in terms of focus and objective is clear. Both wanted to make changes in the activities of government either across the ocean or in Washington. It is clear that both were successful though not immediate. The Boston Tea Party occurred on December 16, 1773 and the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. The event of the Boston Tea Party was a key event in the growth of the American Revolution.
It is clear that the protest action of the Boston Tea Party was aimed at making a difference in the way the government in colonial times operated. The present Tea Party Movement is also aimed at making a difference in the way our present government operates. Though the methods being used are different, the impact is having the same effect. In the recent election in 2010, a clear signal was sent to Congress to change their ways, with many candidates supported by the Tea Party Movement having won their elections.
In summary, the Boston Tea Party was a reaction by residents of the colonies to decisions made by a government organization that had no representative or at least had no one who cared about their position on the issues. In terms of the present Tea Party Movement, citizens are voicing their opinions on several major issues currently affecting our economy and our country. While the Tea Party Movement is not yet a political party, it clearly is having an impact on some decisions being made by Congress on the issues before the country. Those who have won election with the support of the Tea Party Movement are clearly having an impact on the government’s actions, and in some respects represent a refusal to accept the status quo.
Those who are up for election in 2012 must carefully decide what actions they will support for fear of being targeted by those in the Tea Party Movement who are not in agreement with their decisions. Being a grassroots movement, it is a force which cannot be ignored now or in the future. The positions of the various Tea Party factions basically have a common theme which wants reduced government involvement in their lives, reduced taxes, reduced spending and a reduction in the debt of the country. How these issues are addressed in the present Congress will be evaluated by those who will vote in 2012. Those who are not happy with actions by any candidate up for election may face being replaced.
Related articles
- Tea Party touts influence – Boston Herald (news.google.com)
- Tea Party Leader: We’ll Back any GOP Candidate (politics.blogs.foxnews.com)
- Big Bucks Tea Party Project – Present Tea Party Doesn’t Support (gadabout-blogalot.com)
- GOP snubbing tea party in 2012 campaign? (ctv.ca)
- GOP: You cannot take the Tea Party for granted in 2012. – Tea Party Nation (gds44.wordpress.com)
