People's Party (United States, 1970s)

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The People's Party was a political party in the United States, founded in 1971 by various individuals and local groups, 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 groups saw the party as a united anti-war platform for the coming election.

The group ran Benjamin Spock in the U.S. presidential election, 1972 on a social democratic platform, including calls to pull out of Vietnam, legalise marijuana and impose both minimum and maximum wages.

Margaret Wright was The People's Party's presidential candidate in 1976, with Spock running as vice-president.

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.

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