1973 Tea Party Poster calling for an 'Oil Party' and the impeachment of Nixon

A fascinating 1973 political broadsheet of considerable rarity calling for the impeachment of President Nixon and 'big business'. This poster is the rallying promotional for the December 16, 1973 Boston 'Oil Party' sponsored by the People's Bicentennial Action Center. We find it striking that today 'Tea Party' imagery and language has been appropriated by the far right, while in 1973, it was the call of the 'far left'.

A Closer Look

The protest, which drew thousands, gathered at Faneuil Hall for a town hall meeting, before marching to the Congress Street Bridge along the same route followed by the Sons of Liberty in 1776. The parallels between the 1776 Boston Tea Party are clear and the principals are similar, a stand against corporate and government 'tyranny.' Jeremy Rifkin, a PBFC spokesman, describes the goals of the event: 'to revive the revolutionary principles of 1776 and apply those to promote radical political change.'

The overall design of the broadsheet is strong and bold, evocative of an earlier era. Front and center is an American Eagle, bearing a banner reading, 'Our Rights and Our Liberties.' A rallying call appears at top, 'Citizens of Boston! Impeach Big Business Too!'

Publication History and Census

The poster was designed and printed by J. Johnson Company, a large printing concern with offices in New York, Chicago, and Boston. The only other identifiable example we are aware of this poster is in the archives of the University of Michigan.