This research paper analyzes the effectiveness of the Tea Party movement to bring about political and social change. The research is based on 5 scholarly sources that study the origin, make up, means and ends of the Tea Party as both a social and political movement. The Who Wants to Have a Tea Party: The Who, the What and the Why of the Tea Party Movement by Kevin Arceneaux and Stephen P. Nicholson look into the make-up of the Tea Party supporters, identify the attitudes of Tea Party supporters on fiscal, social, and racial policies . The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism examines the effect of the Tea Party movement on the Republic Party and Obama’s presidency. Tea Time in America? The Impact of the Tea Party Movement on the 2010 Midterm Elections examines the impact of the Tea Party movement on the 2010 midterm elections and the relationship between the Republican Party and supporters of the Tea Party in two key senate races. Reading the Tea Leaves: An Analysis of Tea Party Behavior Inside and Outside of the House examines the votes of those associated with the Tea Party to determine whether there is a distinction between Tea Party and Republicans. Lastly, various articles chronicling the Tea Party movement from various news outlets are also incorporated.
I argue that the Tea Party movement is politically effective, evidenced by its strong influence within the house, its ability to impede legislation, and its strong media presence. Socially, the Tea Party movement has been able to catch nationwide attention and over exposure due to its very influential members, albeit constituting a small percentage of the population.
Who is the Tea Party?
When the Tea Party movement first emerged, “in protest of the econo...
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...roups, a co-optable communications network and capable leaders; lastly, the Tea Party movement benefits from capable leaders, frames from the news and the creation of a mobilizing frame. The most critical factors of the Tea Party are news coverage and elite business interest that support the Tea Party, or pursuant to Dobson’s factors of what works: prosperity, a mobilizing frame and frames from the news, which I will elaborate on later. The Tea Party as a movement has been successful at few strategies that Meyer and Slaggenberg highlight: influence policy, alter political alignments, raise the public profile and salience of particular issues, create collective action frames, demonstrate the efficacy of various political action, and most importantly draw media attention that activates balancing norms in mainstream media, and create or magnify critical events.
Many people believe that the Boston Tea Party arose just because of the Tea Act that came into play in 1773, but in-fact, this major statement arose from two issues surrounding the British Empire in 1765. The first of the issues was that the British East India Company was at risk of going under and the Parliament was finding ways to bring it back. The second issue was that there was a continuing dispute about the extent of the Parliament’s authority. Many colonists believe that the Parliament went overboard with their power and the people were concerned about the future. Attempting to resolve these two major issues, the North Ministry only worsened the problem and produced a showdown that would eventually result in revolution.
At the beginning of the war, everything was in array and no one could agree on anything, disorganization and uncertainty overwhelmed everyone. Organizations that were meant to be unifying factors for the colonists, like the Continental Congress, were little more than debating clubs that had to work for weeks before they could come to a decision. As time went on and the Tea Act was put into place the rage of the people made them grow closer. By the eve of the American Revolution, Parliament’s aggression towards the colonists had drawn a distinction between the colonist’s political, economic, and social ideas and those of the British. Colonists had embraced a new identity that helped fuel their resistance against Britain (American Identity and
Now fast forward to a colony on mars. It is a brand new colony and is using past historic figures, ideas, and events to use as a government. The best option for this colony would be to have a democratic government, not to be confused with the democrat party. This government would be voted on by the people as actual votes. There would be a president, but their job would be to make sure that the officials underneath are doing the duty they are supposed to do, and to make sure things that are voted on are followed through. But one thing that is evident in some laws and the reason for the move to mars is the need to advance as a society. Everything would be decided by majority vote when it comes to elections. Everyone would have equal rights;
By this point, the colonists were beginning to question Britain’s motives towards them. They believed they were being treated like slaves and being used solely for the economic growth of Britain. One night, in 1773, the colonists rebelled against these taxes on their tea. A group of men dressed as Native Americans boarded a ship at Boston Harbor and unloaded three vessels of taxed tea (Boston Tea Party). This event, known a...
The Boston Tea Party is one of the most explosive and dynamic examples of what affect the common man held on the path to the Revolution. The Tea Party itself was organized by some of the more well-known officials such as John Hancock, but would have had little effect without the men who actually participated in tossing of 90,000 pounds of tea. George Hewes, a prime example of the average man’s affect on the war, had this to say about that fateful night:
When the Boston Tea Party occurred on the evening of December 16,1773, it was the culmination of many years of bad feeling between the British government and her American colonies. The controversy between the two always seemed to hinge on the taxes, which Great Britain required for the upkeep of the American colonies. Starting in 1765, the Stamp Act was intended by Parliament to provide the funds necessary to keep peace between the American settlers and the Native American population. The Stamp Act was loathed by the American colonists and later repealed by parliament.
Exciting extreme alarm or intense fear describes the life of mine and others. The screaming of war is like kids yelling for what they want. Religious people, are people who are against war; they are called Quakers. At one point soldiers started to not trust George Washington and they started leaving which led more and more people leaving. I have decided to reenlist because I have pride in my country, knowing my lifestyle, and I will always fight for my country.
Public conflict may be triggered by several causes. For one, it may result from the agitation of several groups who believe that what is morally right is violated. Despite the reason behind, agitators seek to challenge the society so that their proposal for social change is accepted. Hence, it is important to understand the reasons why agitators use different strategies to advance their cause and how establishments can control them. For the purposes of this paper, the Boston Tea Party will be analyzed in light of the concept of agitation and establishment. Further, the strategies of the agitators and the establishment will also be provided.
Most people have heard of The Boston tea party. When American patriots dressed as Mohawk Indians boarded the British ships in the Boston harbor and dumped all of the tea into the ocean. But what most people fail to realize is the great importance behind this protest. To fully understand a topic of history one must first acknowledge the actions behind it. The French and Indian war, the Stamp Act, the Townshend Revenue Act, as well as the Tea Act are all important catalysts of the legendary Boston tea party. Which is why we will discuss these topics before examining the events of the Boston tea party.
There is much debate in the United States whether or not there is polarization between our two dominate political parties. Presidential election results have shown that there is a division between the states; a battle between the Democratic blue states and the Republican red states. And what is striking is that the “colors” of these states do not change. Red stays red, and blue stays blue. Chapter 11 of Fault Lines gives differing views of polarization. James Wilson, a political science professor at Pepperdine University in California, suggests that polarization is indeed relevant in modern society and that it will eventually cause the downfall of America. On the contrast, Morris Fiorina, a political science professor at Stanford University, argues that polarization is nothing but a myth, something that Americans should not be concerned with. John Judis, a senior editor at The New Republic, gives insight on a driving force of polarization; the Tea Party Movement. Through this paper I will highlight the chief factors given by Wilson and Judis which contribute to polarization in the United States, and will consider what factors Fiorina may agree with.
The conservative movement has played a crucial role in American politics in the post war era. Ronald Story and Bruce Laurie indentify various elements of the American conservatism. These elements include challenging authoritarian governments and modernist culture, upholding tradition, Christian religion and the rule of law, defending western civilization, and supporting republicanism. American conservatism has been characterized by competing ideologies and tension throughout history. The Americans who are politically liberal and economically conservative favor free trade, minimal state intervention, low taxes, and a small government. On the other hand, conservatives hold the view that American traditional values are normally undermined by secularism. Social conservatives have always opposed same-sex marriages and abortion, and instead have been supporting the idea of integrating prayer into the school curriculum (Story and Laurie 1).
In a 2012 survey performed by CBS and the New York Times, it was found that almost 40% of Tea Party members were from the South, with more than three quarters of the members being older whites (Montopoli). Many people outside of the Tea Party share similar views about its members: they are just a bunch of Bible-thumping, backwards hicks and rednecks who do not respect others’ opinions. This view is analyzed and debunked by Arlie Russell Hochschild in her book, Strangers in Their Own Land. Hochschild visits different towns in Louisiana to meet with self-identifying members of the Tea Party and to understand why they vote and feel the way they do. Hochschild meets with
“The media plays a significant role in American democracy; it wields serious influential power; it uses this ...
At first some Americans believed the great GOP lie, that Obama was such a dangerous threat to our nation that Tea Party Republicans had no choice but to block every piece of legislation, threaten to crash our debt ceiling, and shut down the government, not to mention the millions, if not billions spend in tax payer
In the US, mass media plays a significant role in politics. One of the key roles mass media plays in politics includes the airing of the platforms of various politicians. The media influences the view of people on politics and politicians. As the opinion of individuals is affected, the results of the votes are consequently changed (Holden, 2016).