How the Tea Party Movement Deepened Division in America

In 2009, a new political movement called the Tea Party took off. It started as a protest against government spending and new policies under President Obama, like healthcare reform. Many Tea Party supporters said they wanted lower taxes and less government control, but the movement also pushed the Republican Party further to the right. With backing from wealthy donors and right-wing media, the Tea Party helped reshape American politics—making elections more extreme, weakening civil rights protections, and giving corporations even more power.

Hurting Civil Rights in the Name of ‘Freedom’

The Tea Party often talked about defending the Constitution and protecting personal freedoms. But in practice, many of the policies it supported made life harder for people of color and other marginalized communities.

For example, Tea Party politicians fought hard against the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which helped millions of uninsured Americans—many from lower-income and minority backgrounds—get health coverage. They also pushed for stricter voting laws, like voter ID requirements, claiming they were stopping “fraud.” In reality, these laws made it harder for people of color to vote.

The Tea Party also gave space for politicians and media figures to use racial dog whistles—coded language that played on fears and prejudices. At rallies, some Tea Party supporters carried signs with racist images of President Obama. The movement often opposed policies that helped immigrants and supported crackdowns on undocumented communities. While not all Tea Party supporters were racist, the movement made it easier for extreme ideas to enter mainstream politics.

Giving More Power to Big Business

Although the Tea Party claimed to be a grassroots movement, it was actually funded by billionaires and corporate-backed groups like Americans for Prosperity, which was tied to the Koch brothers. These wealthy donors didn’t just want lower taxes—they wanted fewer regulations so that corporations could have more power.

Tea Party politicians pushed for policies that made it easier for big businesses to avoid taxes, weaken labor unions, and pollute without consequences. They also helped pave the way for the 2010 Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. FEC, which allowed corporations to spend unlimited money on elections. This meant that wealthy elites had even more influence over politics, drowning out the voices of regular people.

Making Elections More Extreme and Divisive

The Tea Party changed the way elections worked, making them more about extreme ideology than actual governance. Tea Party candidates often challenged moderate Republicans in primaries, attacking them for not being “conservative enough.” This forced the entire Republican Party to the right, making compromise in Congress nearly impossible.

Because the Tea Party rewarded politicians for refusing to work with Democrats, gridlock became the norm. Government shutdowns, threats to default on the national debt, and extreme partisanship all became common after the Tea Party’s rise. This divide only grew over time, laying the groundwork for the election of Donald Trump and the rise of even more extreme political movements.

The Tea Party also promoted conspiracy thinking, like the false idea that Obama was not born in the U.S. This helped create a political environment where facts mattered less, and fear-based politics thrived. These trends led directly to election denialism, attacks on voting rights, and even the January 6th insurrection.

The Tea Party’s Lasting Impact

Even though the Tea Party is no longer a major political movement, its influence is everywhere. It helped push the Republican Party toward populism, gave big businesses more control over elections, and made politics more divided than ever. It used the language of “freedom” to justify policies that actually harmed civil rights, and it claimed to be against the elite while serving the interests of billionaires.

The divisions it created are still shaping our country today. Understanding the Tea Party’s impact is crucial as we continue to fight for civil rights, fair elections, and a government that works for all people—not just the wealthy and powerful.