The Tea Party Express Rolls into Boston

On Wednesday, April 14, 2010, (the day before "tax day" - the day on which federal and state income tax returns are due to the government) the Tea Party Express rolled into Boston to hold a protest rally on Boston Common. Tea Party activists expressed their anger and opposition to what they see as out of control spending and high levels of taxation by the government. The 'Tea' in the Tea Party Rally movement has come to stand for "taxed enough already," however, it originally was a reference to the historical event known as 'The Boston Tea Party,' which played an important role in The American Revolution. On December 16, 1773, after officials in Boston refused to pay taxes to the British Government on three shiploads of tea that were docked at a nearby wharf and ready to be unloaded, a group of colonists boarded the ships and destroyed the tea by throwing it into Boston Harbor. While the aim of that action was to protest taxation without representation, the goal of the modern day Tea Party movement is to influence elections, and curb government spending and levels of taxation. Former Alaska Governor and 2008 Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin headlined the event on Boston Common, giving a speech that fired up the activists in the crowd. The Bean Media was on hand to capture the rally and talk with Tea Party activists.