Beginning in the early months of 2009 as small, scattered gatherings of citizens who were concerned about government spending, the American Tea Party Movement sprang into the media spotlight on April 15, 2009, when millions of people gathered in over 800 locations across the country to protest.
Since then the movement has grown into a major political force within the United States of America. Although not officially aligned with any political party, the grassroots movement has been subjected to both praise and scorn depending on the political leaning of those discussing the movement.
What are the core values and objectives of the Tea Party Movement? The Tea Party Patriots web site, which labels itself as the "Official Home of the American Tea Party Movement," provides a Mission Statement page that lists its three core values.
Tea Party Movement Supports Fiscal Responsibility
The first core value listed by Tea Party Patriots is fiscal responsibility by the government. The movement maintains that each individual has the freedom to spend money that they have earned and that the government must both honor and respect that right.
They espouse the idea that a limited government must implement responsible fiscal policies otherwise the government's expenditures will continue to increase. Ultimately, the increasing need for revenue will subject the nation's people to higher taxation to the point that the liberties, which are supposed to be protected under the Constitution, will be restricted.
The Tea Party Patriots web site points to the United States' "runaway deficit spending" as a very real threat not only to the nation's sovereignty but also to the economic and personal liberty and prosperity of future generations of Americans.
Tea Party Movement Supports Limited Government
Citing the United States' founding documents as the movement's inspiration, the Tea Party Patriots web site lists constitutionally limited government as the second of its three core values. Movement members consider the Constitution to be the country's supreme law and believe that federal government should revert back to its original intent as envisioned by the founding fathers.
The movement supports the right of states to govern themselves in all areas that are not explicitly reserved for the federal government by the U.S. Constitution. Since the government serves the people, Tea Party participants also endorse the personal liberty of each individual within the rule of law.
Tea Party Movement Supports Free Markets
A free market is listed as the Tea Party's third core value. The movement asserts that the founding fathers believed that "personal and economic freedom were indivisible" and that a free market is the economic result of personal liberty.
The Tea Party Patriots web site indicates that interference by the government in the affairs of private business distorts the free market which then discourages or impedes the pursuit of both economic and individual liberty. Movement members oppose government manipulation of private business operations or services and endorse a return to the free market principles upon which the United States was founded.
Mission of the Tea Party Movement
According to the Tea Party's mission statement page, the movement's core values are based on the United States' Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights as explained in the Federalist Papers. The observance by the government of those core values of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government and free markets are critical to the security and personal and economic liberties of all U.S. citizens.
What appears to lead and inspire participants involved in the American Tea Party Movement is the concept that "there exists an inherent benefit to our country when private property and prosperity are secured by natural law and the rights of the individual."
Sources:
Malkin, Michelle. ""A Tax Day Tea Party Cheat Sheet: How it all started." MichelleMalkin.com. April 15, 2009.
"Tea Party Patriots: Mission Statement and Core Values." Docs.google.com.
Ronald G Falconberry - Ron Falconberry is an IT professional and freelance writer who enjoys researching and writing articles on Bible topics, history, and ...
Join the Conversation