Background

Founded in 1992 as the U.S. Taxpayers Party, today the Constitution Party (renamed in 1999) boasts 366,937 registered members (mainly in California and Nevada), ranking third in the U.S. in terms of sheer members.

The Backbone of the Constitution Party

An excerpt from the Constitution Party's official history and platform is as follows:

The Constitution Party strongly champions the principles of government laid down by our Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, principles which have been abandoned by our political establishment. Unlike other political organizations, we do not believe these principles are outdated. We recognize that the Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the land and must be enforced.

The proper and lawful division of governmental authority among the Federal, State and local governments was an arrangement that the Founders rightly saw as necessary to preserving freedom and justice. Only after that federal, constitutional order is restored to its proper balance can we reverse America's slide into lawlessness, corruption and tyranny.

The Constitution Party is the only party which is completely pro-life, pro-gun, pro-American sovereignty and independence, and in favor of a strong national defense. It is also the only party that is anti-globalist, anti-free trade, anti-deindustrialization, and anti-unchecked immigration. We also oppose special rights for homosexuals, the constantly increasing expansion of unlawful police laws,and both foreign aid and military interventionism.

The Constitution Party is completely driven by a textual reading of the Constitution, with the Bible as a secondary source. Claiming the words of the Founding Fathers are solid, they see no need for an adaptable, "living" reading of the Constitution. As such, the Party's platform is consistent with the following values:

Fiscal Policy

• Federal funding for social programs such as health care, education and welfare are unconstitutional under Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution and the Tenth Amendment.
• The Departments of Education, and Health and Human Services are unconstitutional and as such should not be funded.
• The U.S. should remove itself from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, NAFTA, GATT, the WTO and other international financial bodies.
• The federal income tax should be abolished and replaced with a tariff-based revenue system supplemented by excise taxes.

Social Policy

• Illegal immigration should be suppressed with troops if necessary; if immigrants inflict too harsh a burden financially or medically on the U.S., they will be disqualified; children born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants should not be granted automatic citizenship.
• On a strict pro-life stance, euthanasia and abortion should not prohibited.
• States have a right to administer the death penalty for capital crimes.
• Opposed to same-sex unions (furthermore, state and local governments have a right to criminalize "offensive sexual behavior."
• Opposed to legalized gambling and pornography
• Opposed to federal anti-drug laws, but government should stem the import of illegal drugs.
• English should be a pre-requisite of U.S. citizenship.

Structure

Recent Developments

Accomplishments

Criticism

Additional Information