People's Party (United States, 1971) facts for kids

The People's Party was a political party in the United States. It was created in 1971 by people from several smaller parties. Their main goal was to offer an anti-war choice for voters. The party ran in the 1972 and 1976 presidential elections. However, they did not win many votes.

After these elections, the People's Party hoped to join with other groups. But many of the original parties that formed it broke apart. Because of this, the People's Party also ended.

What Was the People's Party?

A political party is a group of people who share similar ideas about how a country should be run. They work together to get their chosen leaders elected to government. The People's Party was one such group in the United States during the early 1970s.

Why Was It Formed?

The People's Party was started in 1971. It brought together members from different smaller parties, like the Peace and Freedom Party, the Human Rights Party, and the Liberty Union Party. Their main reason for forming was to speak out against war. They wanted to give voters a clear choice for peace in the upcoming elections.

Running for President

The People's Party took part in two major presidential elections:

• 1972 Election: They put forward their own candidates for president and vice president.
• 1976 Election: They ran candidates again, hoping to gain more support.

In both elections, the party did not receive many votes. They got less than 0.10% of all the votes cast by the public. This means that for every 1,000 votes, they received less than one.

Why Did the Party End?

After the 1976 election, the People's Party wanted to grow stronger by working with other groups. This kind of partnership is called a coalition. However, many of the smaller parties that had originally joined to create the People's Party started to break up. Without these founding groups, the People's Party could not continue and also stopped existing.