Tea Party's Contract From America

I'm trying to better understand the stance of our modern day Tea Party. Descriptive party names have come and gone in U.S. history. Though the U.S. political system was born of the 19th century, the party system was more than a simple "either or." There were three key early 19th century parties: Whigs, Jacksonian Democrats and Republicans. (NB: The Republican party of Lincoln did not form until much later in the antebellum period [1854] and should not be confused with the National Republicans [1828], the Jeffersonian Republicans [active around the election of 1800], or even with the Jacksonian Democrats of the late 1820s who, in honor of Jefferson as well as the Jeffersonian Republicans also referred to themselves as Republicans.)

Besides these three main antebellum political parties, early 19th century parties included: Antimasons, Anti-Relief, Barnburners, Bucktails, Conscience Whigs, Cotton Whigs, Doughface Democrats, Free Soilers, Hunkers, Know-Nothings, National Republicans, Liberty Party, Locofocos, People's Party, Relief, Silver Grays, Wooly Heads and Workies (the Workingman). Party loyalty often crumbled when faced with new ideas and increasing ideological differences, and infighting was common as ideologies compelled members to split and form new political groups. Citizens formed these groups as they sought to articulate a political philosophy that grappled with ensuring equality.

So this brings me back to the Tea Partiers. Do its members have a political philosophy and, if so, what is at its core? In order to better understand the Tea Partiers, this morning I read the Contract From America on the website of the Tea Party Patriots (www.thecontract.org). The website opens with, "The Contract from America serves as a clarion call for those who recognize the importance of free market principles, limited government, and individual liberty. It is the natural extension of a movement that began in the local communities and quickly spread across America in response to unprecedented government expansion, reckless spending, and a blatant disregard by our leaders of the nation’s founding principles."


As this morning's blog is already rather lengthy, tomorrow I will respond to the first paragraph of the contract: individual liberty. "Our moral, political and economic liberties are inherent, not granted by our government. It is essential to the practice of these liberties that we be free from restriction over our peaceful political expression and free from excessive control over our economic choices."