Wednesday’s Tax Day Tea Party at Ross’s Landing drew about 1,000 area citizens who came to protest runaway federal spending, members of the group said.

The local activities were part of "a nationwide surge of non-partisan tax day tea party protests in nearly 500 cities that harkened back to the Colonial sense of outrage shown in the original Boston Tea Party in 1773."

Protestors filled the public green across Chestnut Street from the Tennessee Aquarium, carrying signs showing anti-spending and anti-tax sentiment. Participants called their elected officials during the protest and signed copies of the U.S. Constitution as part of a petition package to be sent to Congressional leaders.

Officials said, "Throughout the protest, ordinary citizens quoted from the founding fathers and historical documents in an effort to highlight the principles and beliefs upon which the nation was founded. There were many other activities that all served to highlight the rampant and runaway spending that is crippling the nation economically."

“Recent spending, from the TARP to the stimulus, was passed with little debate and almost no opportunity for legislators to read what they voted on,” said tea party organizer Mark West. “We’ve gotten to the point where Congress just passes spending to make people feel good, but there is little accountability to ensure that spending gets real results. Continued spending of this magnitude will force huge tax hikes for everybody, not just the so-called rich, and limit economic opportunity for our children and grandchildren.”

Speakers at the rally included Bradley County Sheriff Tim Gobble, Tennessee GOP Chairman Robin Smith, Hamilton County Commissioner Bill Hullander, former Tennessee state Sen. David Fowler, UTC professor Dr. Joe Dumas, Hamilton County Republican Party Chairman Matthew Bryant, Hamilton Country school board member Rhonda Thurman, and businessmen Jeremy Jones and Premo Mondone.

Speakers "focused on the massive buildup in government spending and the importance of citizen involvement in and oversight of our government at each level – local, state and federal."

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this year’s deficit will be $1.8 trillion, or 13.1 percent of GDP – the largest deficit as a share of GDP since 1945. The CBO also projects the president’s current proposals will add $4.8 trillion to baseline deficits over the 2010-2019 period and total $9.3 trillion, officials said.