Tea Party Protests

The Tea Party protests were a series of protests across the United States that began in early 2009. The protests are part of the larger political Tea Party movement.

Among other events, protests have been held on:

  • February 27, 2009, to protest the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) U.S. financial system bailouts signed by President George W. Bush in October, 2008, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 stimulus legislation signed by President Barack Obama;
  • April 15, 2009, to coincide with the annual U.S. deadline for submitting tax returns, known as Tax Day;
  • July 4, 2009, to coincide with Independence Day;
  • September 12, 2009, to coincide with the anniversary of the day after the September 11 attacks;
  • November 5, 2009, in Washington D.C. to protest health insurance reform;
  • March 14–21, 2010, in D.C. during the final week of debate on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Most Tea Party activities have since been focused on opposing efforts of the Obama Administration, and on recruiting, nominating, and supporting candidates for state and national elections. The name "Tea Party" is a reference to the Boston Tea Party, whose principal aim was to protest taxation without representation. Tea Party protests evoked images, slogans and themes from the American Revolution, such as tri-corner hats and yellow Gadsden "Don't Tread on Me" flags. The letters T-E-A have been used by some protesters to form the backronym "Taxed Enough Already".

Commentators promoted Tax Day events on various blogs, Twitter, and Facebook, while the Fox News Channel regularly featured televised programming leading into and promoting various protest activities. Reaction to the tea parties included counter-protests expressing support for the Obama administration, and dismissive or mocking media coverage of both the events and its promoters.

Read more about Tea Party Protests:  History, Tactics, Reports of Abusive Behavior, See Also

Famous quotes containing the words tea and/or party:

    An old man drinks tea and reads the newspaper—forgetting age for a moment.
    Mason Cooley (b. 1927)

    Death is hacking away at my address book and party lists.
    Mason Cooley (b. 1927)