The Tea Party movement of today actually formed much like the original one.
Both were founded on the premise of the ruling Government not listening to the people.
The rallying cause of the original was "taxation without representation", nowadays its "no to Obamacare".
While the focal point of the wrath of the Tea Party was for a time focused on Obamacare, it has grown into an encompassing fear and disdain for the huge overreach of the Federal Government in general.
The huge debt and massive overspending is causing a lot of alarm for many people.
It was the on-air venting of TV commentator Rick Santelli about the mortgage crisis that many think was a catalyst for the whole movement.
The movement is actually not a cohesive national party but a conglomeration of many local and national parties, sometimes working together and sometimes not.
While the various parties sometimes disagree about certain candidates and such, they generally have a similar overriding philosophy of small government and strong states rights.
Adhering to a strict interpretation of the US Constitution is also a fundamental belief for pretty much all members of any Tea Party.
The membership of the various groups is mixed, but overwhelmingly conservative.
However, the actual political values they espouse lean more towards Libertarian, not Republican.
Small government and keeping issues as local as possible is what they believe.
Private business and entrepreneurship as the most practical and productive way to accomplish things is the driving force behind much in the Tea Party.
Seizing back control from Washington and bringing it back to the State level is of utmost importance.
The closer to home the decision making, the more accountable the leaders will be to the voices of the people.
In most people's eyes, unaccountable politicians and overwhelming red tape is the cause of much of the debt and overspending.
Many of the group members also feel that the Federal Government is increasingly going around the Constitution and undermining our laws.
Using unelected or appointed officials to carry out policies and make laws is a massive and growing problem.
Keeping control of our government in the hands of just a few, and out of the hands of the representatives elected by the people is not how the Founders envisioned this nation.
Wresting back control and putting it in the proper place of the elected local and national representatives is an important aspect of the groups.
Educating and investigating the issues on their own is also a common trait among the Tea Party; seeing as how they uniformly mistrust the mainstream media.
Forming their own opinions and usingcritical thinking is important because most feel they can really only trust themselves or fellow group members.
In conclusion, the image most people have about the Tea Party is false.
It's just a group of individuals who feel that politicians and special interests have way too much power and disregard for the average citizens.
They want the control and respect back where it belongs, with the people.