The Tea Party was created in early 2009 following a divergence of opinions within the Republican Party during the 2008 presidential elections.
In the context of a new financial crisis, John McCain alienated the more conservative wing of the Republican Party because of his:
For example, he endorsed a piece of legislation which had very little support among Republicans: the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007.
Republicans also had trouble trusting his judgement because he chose Sarah Palin as a vice president if elected, who many voters considered too inexperienced and unprepared.
As a result, the Tea Party was formed to promote fiscally conservative responses to the recession, including lower taxes, a reduction of government spending, limited state intervention in the private sector, and more tightly-controlled immigration.
The name "Tea Party" is a reference to the Boston Tea Party of 1773, when American colonists threw British tea overboard and into the Boston harbor to demonstrate against Great Britain's unfair taxation of Americans.
