People's Party (United States, 1970s)
Encyclopedia
The People's Party was a political party
in the United States
, founded in 1971 by various individuals and State and local political parties, including the Peace and Freedom Party, Commongood People's Party, Country People's Caucus, Human Rights Party, Liberty Union
, New American Party, New Party and No Party. The party's goal was to present a united anti-war platform for the coming election.
The group ran Benjamin Spock
in the U.S. presidential election, 1972
on a platform that included calls to pull out of Vietnam
, legalize marijuana
and impose both minimum
and maximum wage
s, and promote homosexuality.
Margaret Wright
was the People's Party's presidential candidate in 1976, with Spock running as vice-president after Maggie Kuhn
declined the spot.
After the election, the party moved to become a loose coalition
, but was soon defunct, with most of its founding parties also dissolved.
The party's papers are now in the Western Historical Manuscript Collection of the University of Missouri–St. Louis
, St. Louis, Missouri
having been where the party had held its conventions.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, founded in 1971 by various individuals and State and local political parties, including the Peace and Freedom Party, Commongood People's Party, Country People's Caucus, Human Rights Party, Liberty Union
Liberty Union Party
The Liberty Union Party of Vermont, founded in 1970 by former Congressman William H. Meyer, Peter Diamondstone and others, originated in the anti-war and People's Party movements of the late 1960s and defines itself as a nonviolent socialist party.-History:...
, New American Party, New Party and No Party. The party's goal was to present a united anti-war platform for the coming election.
The group ran Benjamin Spock
Benjamin Spock
Benjamin McLane Spock was an American pediatrician whose book Baby and Child Care, published in 1946, is one of the biggest best-sellers of all time. Its message to mothers is that "you know more than you think you do."Spock was the first pediatrician to study psychoanalysis to try to understand...
in the U.S. presidential election, 1972
United States presidential election, 1972
The United States presidential election of 1972 was the 47th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 7, 1972. The Democratic Party's nomination was eventually won by Senator George McGovern, who ran an anti-war campaign against incumbent Republican President Richard...
on a platform that included calls to pull out of Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, legalize marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
and impose both minimum
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
and maximum wage
Maximum wage
A maximum wage, also often called a wage ceiling, is a legal limit on how much income an individual can earn. This is a related economic concept that is complementary to the minimum wage used currently by some states to enforce minimum earnings...
s, and promote homosexuality.
Margaret Wright
Margaret Wright (US socialist)
Margaret Wright was a third-party candidate for President of the United States and a community activist in Los Angeles, California....
was the People's Party's presidential candidate in 1976, with Spock running as vice-president after Maggie Kuhn
Maggie Kuhn
Maggie Kuhn was an American activist known for founding the Gray Panthers movement in 1971 after being forced into retirement by the Presbyterian Church...
declined the spot.
After the election, the party moved to become a loose coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
, but was soon defunct, with most of its founding parties also dissolved.
The party's papers are now in the Western Historical Manuscript Collection of the University of Missouri–St. Louis
University of Missouri–St. Louis
The University of Missouri–St. Louis is one of four universities in the University of Missouri System. Established in 1963, it is the newest university in the UM System. , it is the largest university by enrollment in the St. Louis area with 16,548 students...
, St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
having been where the party had held its conventions.