The Tea Party Movement in America

The Tea Party movement in the U.S. has been described as a fractious confederation of American activists who are generally defined by what they are against.

Those who have written about the movement have described it as a growing group that opposes expansion of the federal government's budget and deficit spending, along with vocal opposition to President Barack Obama's policies related to bank bailouts and universal healthcare reform.

The Tea Party movement is often depicted in the U.S. mass media by its outspoken fringe. Despite this, a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, the movement has become more popular than the major political parties of the United States; 41% have a positive view of the Tea Party movement, while only 35% have a positive view of Democrats, with 28% reporting a positive view of the Republican Party.

The Tea Party movement has passion that has been associated with other periods of American history: the hippies of the 1960s; the feminists of the 1970s; the Christian conservatives of the 1980s.

Each of these reform movements, as well as others, were driven by passionate, non-partisan, grass roots groups. These groups, through their demonstrations, create pressure on legislators to enact, repeal, or block specific laws or policies. This free and open speech has generated popular interest in politics during each period, leading to shifts in policy and societal change.

Some commentators speculate that in upcoming elections, the Tea Party movement has the potential to alienate moderate Republicans and independent voters because of recent displays of extremism in its gatherings. Or, it could result in a new third party candidate that adopts whatever agenda the movement evolves.

ProQuest has created a BookCart learning activity for students to learn more about the Tea Party movement and come to their own conclusions as independent thinkers. The BookCart contains links to many voices on this important, timely movement, and includes links to documents, videos, and other resources—both from eLibrary and the media (see "Weblinks" section)—as a starting point for independent research.

One essential question for your students: How has this fresh political movement influenced public opinion now; and how might it continue to influence the candidates and issues of upcoming elections?

eLibrary BookCart learning activities are a one stop solution for teachers and students in conducting 21st-century inquiry-based learning activities. Great editor-selected resources, plus essential questions for critical thinking, plus student directions ensure that no time is wasted and students have everything they need to maximize learning. The learning activity for this month is just one of hundreds of BookCarts (PDF listing) that teachers and librarians can copy into their local collection and use right away.

Here's how to do it:

• Logon to the eLibrary TEACHER EDITION.
• Click the BOOKCART ADMIN tab at the top of the Teacher Edition.
• Click the PROQUEST CARTS tab.
• Type "Tea Party movement" in the SEARCH box
• Click the COPY icon (middle one) in the ACTIONS column to the right of this title.
• Click RETURN TO MY LOCAL CARTS.

Librarians or teachers can edit this BookCart to customize it for their students. To edit this BookCart:

• Click the new BookCart TITLE (it will have the prefix "COPY OF").
• Delete "Copy of" and then type your name in the AUTHOR boxes and your initials in the EMAIL box (required info).
• Option: Edit any ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS for your students in the DESCRIPTION box.
• Option: Edit the existing STUDENT DIRECTIONS in the Description box to customize for your students.
• Scroll down and click SAVE.
• Click RETURN TO MY LOCAL CARTS.

Assign students to write a report of at least 150 words or a presentation of at least seven slides. The report should cite at least three resources and address the following essential questions for critical thinking (you can add or substitute others):

• How was the Tea Party movement started, organized, and financed?
  
  
• What are the major issues the Tea Party movement supports?
  
  
• How does the Tea Party movement impact the Democratic and Republican parties?
  
  
• What is your opinion of the Tea Party movement and why?

Select the ADVANCED SEARCH option > Type "Tea Party movement" in the SEARCH box > Type "Tea Party" in the TITLE box > Sort the Results list by DATE

Use our custom ProQuest models for written or PowerPoint reports written and PowerPoint-style reports.