A Brief History of the Green Party in the U.S.

The Green Party's grassroots values are echoed in its early beginnings. The predecessor of the Green Party first took root in 1984, when environmental activists gathered in St. Paul, Minnesota to form an organization called the Green Committees of Correspondence. Committees sprang up across the country, focusing on local issues that were important to them. Greens in New England began running candidates for office ã and winning. Greens in Wisconsin supported Native American rights treaties. Other Greens stopped incinerators, planted trees, campaigned against threats to their local watersheds, and served as commissioners on local boards.

The first fully delegated Green Party Congress was held in Eugene, Oregon in 1989, where they drafted the Green Program. The Party has met annually since, and now has chapters in 46 states. Green Party membership has continued to grow coast to coast in the last four years, and has spent its energies in rebuilding inner cities, challenging undemocratic government, supporting labor unions, and fighting for environmental and social justice.

In June 2000, more than 300 Green Party delegates gathered at the convention Denver, and nominated Ralph Nader and Winona LaDuke as its candidates for president and vice president in the 2000 elections. The Green Party also has candidates running for office at every level in local, state, and federal government.