Tea Party protests
![A Tea Party protest in Hartford, Connecticut, on April 15, 2009.](/Images/godic/202502/03/Tea_Party_Protest,_Hartford,_Connecticut,_15_April_2009_-_0600039.jpg")
![Tea Party protesters on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol and the National Mall on September 12, 2009.](/Images/godic/202502/03/9.12_tea_party_in_DC0039.jpg")
![A flyer created by Hoosiers for Fair Taxation to protest mayor Bart Peterson in 2007 explicitly invokes the Boston Tea Party.](/Images/godic/202502/03/Tea_party_Indianapolis_flyer_20070039.jpg")
![A Tea Party protester holds a sign saying](/Images/godic/202502/03/Nashville_Tea_Party0039.jpg")
The Tea Party protests were a series of protests throughout the United States that began in early 2009. The protests were part of the larger political Tea Party movement.
Among other events, protests were held on:
Most Tea Party activities have since been focused on opposing efforts of the Obama Administration, and on recruiting, nominating, and supporting candidates for state and national elections. The name "Tea Party" is a reference to the Boston Tea Party, whose principal aim was to protest taxation without representation. Tea Party protests evoked images, slogans and themes from the American Revolution, such as tri-corner hats and yellow Gadsden "Don't Tread on Me" flags. The letters T-E-A have been used by some protesters to form the backronym "Taxed Enough Already".