The Tariff Comeback: Why Tariffs Returned as a Political Weapon in the 21st Century
Tariffs—once thought to be relics of pre-globalization economic policy—have returned with a vengeance. After decades of declining import duties and multilateral trade liberalization, the 21st century has ushered in a new wave of protectionism. From the United States to India, from Europe to China, governments are once again turning to tariffs not just to manage […]
The Rise of Free Trade and the Decline of Tariffs: 1945 to 2000
The end of World War II marked the beginning of an extraordinary shift in global trade policy. While the early 20th century was defined by economic nationalism and protectionism, the post-1945 era saw the rise of free trade as a cornerstone of American economic strategy. Driven by a belief in global integration and mutual prosperity, […]
From Smoot-Hawley to the WTO: A Century of Trade Policy Shifts
The story of U.S. trade policy over the past century is one of dramatic transformation—from the steep isolationist tariffs of the early 20th century to the multilateral agreements that now define the global trade landscape. Following the revenue-focused tariffs of the 1800s and the introduction of income tax in 1913, America entered a new chapter […]
How Tariffs Built Railroads, Factories, and the American Dream (1800–1912)
From the dusty ports of Boston to the booming railroads that stretched across the American frontier, tariffs were more than just economic levers—they were the fuel that powered the United States’ transformation from a fledgling republic to a formidable industrial power. In an era before federal income taxes, credit systems, or central banks, import duties […]
The Tariffs Battles of the 19th Century: Industrial Growth and Political Divide
In 19th-century America, few policy tools were as powerful—or as divisive—as tariffs. Long before income taxes became the government’s primary funding source, tariffs were at the heart of the country’s financial and industrial strategies. But these import duties didn’t just fund the federal government; they shaped the course of American economic growth, influenced political alignments, […]
From Protection to Prosperity: The Role of Tariffs in Financing Early America
In the early days of the United States, long before the ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment in 1913 introduced a federal income tax, the U.S. government needed a reliable way to fund itself. At a time when the young nation was building its identity and expanding its borders, tariffs emerged as the cornerstone of federal […]