Image from http://i.usatoday.net/communitymanagerphotos/on-politics/2011/02/08/teaparty-208x-large.jpg

Americans have participated in political protests since the beginning of our country’s history. How has the organization of political groups and their actions evolved over time?

The Tea Party movement is a political movement with conservative and libertarian tendencies.

1.Members believe in an originalist interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. 2.Its goals are less government in the form of decreased taxation and reduction of national debt. 3.It has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009.

The Tea Party of 2009 took their name from a comment Rick Santelli, on-air editor for the CNBC Business News network, made referencing the Boston Tea Party of 1773.

The Boston Tea Party was a group of citizens, organized by Samuel Adams,that protested British tea taxation, which they felt was taxation without representation, by dumping tea into Boston’s harbor.

Many people also credit a Seattle conservative activist, Keli Carender, with organizing the first Tea Party like protests in February 2009 with the help of her blog although she did not use the words “Tea Party”.

Image from http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bstXBEDnG9w/TJJn97UqDCI/AAAAAAAADfE/Yq2PT2fpYdk/s1600/santelli.jpg

CNBC Rick Santelli’s Tea Party comment from 0 seconds to 2 min 30 secondshttp://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=1039849853

Boston Tea Party 1773 (Choose links as needed)

Tea Party - Schoolhouse Rock - No more Kings 3 minutes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-9pDZMRCpQ&feature=related The Boston Tea Party Takes Place - December 16, 1773 30 secondshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8WkeFBwEyw&feature=related

The Boston Tea Party 4 minuteshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DflVLvrWgsg&feature=related

Other groups have used the imagery of the Boston Tea Party for their causes.

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From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Tea_Party “When Mohandas K. Gandhi led a mass burning of Indian registration cards in South Africa in 1908, a British newspaper compared the event to the Boston Tea Party.[67] When Gandhi met with the British viceroy in 1930 after the Indian salt protest campaign, Gandhi took some duty-free salt from his shawl and said, with a smile, that the salt was "to remind us of the famous Boston Tea Party."[68]

“In 1973, on the 200th anniversary of the Tea Party, a mass meeting at Faneuil Hall called for the impeachment of President Richard Nixon and protested oil companies in the ongoing oil crisis. Afterwards, protesters boarded a replica ship in Boston Harbor, hanged Nixon in effigy, and dumped several empty oil drums into the harbor.[69] In 1998, two conservative US Congressmen put the federal tax code into a chest marked "tea" and dumped it into the harbor.[70]”

^ Erik H. Erikson, Gandhi's Truth: On the Origins of Militant Nonviolence (New York: Norton, 1969), 204.^ Erikson, Gandhi's Truth, 448.^ Young, Shoemaker, 197.^ Young, Shoemaker, 198.

1. Close adherence to the US Constitution• Members commit to learning the Constitution• Originalist view- What did

the writers mean?

2. Less Government• Lower taxes• Balanced budget

3. Grassroots activism* • Using Elections to reach

Political Objectives• Using town meetings or

tea parties to organize.

*(There is debate about how much is grassroots and how much is not grassroots)

The Gadsden flag appeared in 1775 . An anonymous writer to a newspaper (many believe the writer to be Benjamin Franklin) said of the flag “"She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage. ... she never wounds 'till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her." Permission from N. York to use image. Information from http://www.gadsden.info/history.html

1.Close adherence to the US Constitution• Members commit to learning the

Constitution

Tea Party members feel it is very important to read and understand the US Constitution. They feel elected officials need to consider what the Constitution states for all of their decisions.

The preamble in sign language! 1 minute ASL translation by students

1.Close adherence to the US Constitution• Members commit to learning the Constitution.

• Originalist view

An originalist view of the Constitution means that the reader of the Constitution tries to figure out what the original meaning was at the time it was written.

What did the writers of the Constitution have in mind when they drafted the different parts?

Originalists believe that judges should uphold the laws and that they should not try to change them.

Famous originalists are Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

“Originalism”

Image from http://www.conservapedia.com/images/thumb/4/40/Thmas.jpg/200px-Thmas.jpg

Image from http://www.biography.com/imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/M/Thurgood-Marshall-9400241-1-402.jpg

Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall“Living Document”

2. Less Government• Lower taxes• Balanced budget.

The Tea Party believes there needs to be less government. Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution lists what responsibilities/powers the government had at the time the Constitution was drafted. The Tea Party believes that the government has grown too big, that all of the newer programs are not necessary and/or Constitutional. Every government program uses taxes to fund them.

The Tea Party believes that there should be less taxes. Tax is collected from the majority of citizens from their paycheck to pay for government (federal and state) programs.

The Tea Party believes that the Federal and State budgets need to be balanced.

To balance a budget means that you are not spending more money than you have.

Section. 8. Clause 1: The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States; Clause 2: To borrow Money on the credit of the United States; Clause 3: To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes; Clause 4: To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States; Clause 5: To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures; Clause 6: To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States; Clause 7: To establish Post Offices and post Roads; Clause 8: To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries; Clause 9: To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court; Clause 10: To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations; Clause 11: To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; Clause 12: To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years; Clause 13: To provide and maintain a Navy; Clause 14: To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces; Clause 15: To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; Clause 16: To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress; Clause 17: To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, byCession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;--And Clause 18: To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

http://www.house.gov/house/Constitution/Constitution.html

3. Grassroots activism• Using Elections to reach Political Objectives• Using town meetings or tea parties to organize

One of their first successful political actions was to have a Tea Party candidate, Republican Scott P. Brown pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Massachusetts political history. He defeated Democrat Martha Coakley to win the 2010 Massachusetts senate election. This was the first time a Republican had won in this senate election since 1972.

Scott P. Brown’s slogan was: 'I'm Scott Brown. I'm from Wrentham. I drive a truck.‘ The truck was used to prove his point that he was a “common” man and not a career politician. Many times in grassroots campaigns a local person is supported over incumbents (people who have held a political position for a long time). Image from http://www.politico.com/click/stories/1002/scott_browns_truck_sets_the_pace.html

Using the term “grassroots” to define the 2010 Massachusetts senate election has been questioned. Although Mr. Brown started out with very little money to run his campaign he received thousands of dollars from different political interests toward the end of his campaign.

From Ballotpedia.org- Scott Brownhttp://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Scott_Brown

From Boston.com http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/02/01/late_in_senate_race_financial_sector_donations_swelled_browns_coffers/

1. Close adherence to the US Constitution• Members commit to learning the Constitution• Originalist view

2. Less Government• Lower taxes• Balanced budget

3. Grassroots activism* • Using Elections to reach

Political Objectives• Using town meetings or

tea parties to organize

*(There is debate about how much is grassroots and how much is not grassroots)

The Gadsden flag appeared in 1775 . An anonymous writer to a newspaper (many believe the writer to be Benjamin Franklin) said of the flag “"She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage. ... she never wounds 'till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her." Permission from N. York to use image. Information from http://www.gadsden.info/history.html

Conservative- Holding to traditional attitudes and values. Grassroots Activism- A grassroots movement is politics at a local level. It is usually spontaneous and has many volunteers in the community that give their time to support a local party. Libertarian- “One who advocates maximizing individual rights and minimizing the role of the state.” from the freedictionary.com Living document- concept that the Constitution will need to change with the times.Minor- A young person, not an adultOriginalism- concept that the Constitution needs to be interpreted based on what the original writers intended it to mean.Social Media- web-based and mobile technologies that create interactive conversations.Uphold the law- to carry out the law as it is written.

• Compare Tea Party Movement to Occupy Wall Street Movement

• See the previous lesson from HNN about Occupy Wall Street in Historical Context as reference material

• http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs/learning/pdf/2010/20100112socialmovements.pdf • Organizer is from the NY Times Learning Network

learning.blogs@nytimes.com

• Have students debate their Constitutional preference (Originalism versus Living Document)

The Life of the (Tea) Party: Comparing Social Protest MovementsBy DINAH MACK and HOLLY EPSTEIN OJALVO http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/the-life-of-the-tea-party-comparing-social-protest-movements/

The Tea Party Movement- C-Spanhttp://www.c-spanclassroom.org/Lesson/319/Featured+Lesson+Idea+The+Tea+Party+Movement.aspx

Books

Boiling Mad- Inside Tea Party America by Kate Zernike

Links US Constitution http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution.html

Boston Tea Party Historical Society- site contains pictures and facts http://www.boston-tea-party.org/pictures/picture7.html

Boston Tea Party Historical Society- play about original tea partyhttp://www.boston-tea-party.org/reenactment/Act1.html

No Time for Tea (3-5 Grade) http://publications.socialstudies.org/se/6905/6905244.pdf