Clashing over Commerce audiobook cover - A History of US Trade Policy

Clashing over Commerce

A History of US Trade Policy

Douglas A. Irwin

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EconomicsHistoryPolitics

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Clashing over Commerce
Colonial Era & Independence+
Early Republic (Revenue & Regionalism)+
The Protectionist Era (Civil War to 1930)+
The Turning Point (New Deal & Post-War)+
Cold War Liberalization+
Modern Polarization (1990s to Present)+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7
Why did the post-Revolutionary trade chaos help drive support for the new US Constitution in 1787?
  • A. States were competing to sign the first free trade agreement with France, causing diplomatic confusion.
  • B. The federal government under the Articles of Confederation lacked the power to regulate commerce and retaliate against British trade restrictions.
  • C. Southern planters wanted a strong central government to enforce export quotas on agricultural goods.
  • D. Northern merchants demanded a national income tax to replace the failing system of import duties.
Question 2 of 7
In the early years of the United States republic, what was the primary practical purpose of tariffs?
  • A. To fund nearly all federal government expenses in the absence of an income tax.
  • B. To penalize European nations for interfering with American westward expansion.
  • C. To redistribute wealth from the industrial North to the agricultural South.
  • D. To discourage citizens from purchasing luxury goods and promote domestic thrift.
Question 3 of 7
How did the sectional divide over trade policy primarily manifest during the late nineteenth century?
  • A. Northern states wanted free trade to export manufactured goods, while the South wanted tariffs to protect emerging textile mills.
  • B. Western states demanded high tariffs on agricultural imports, while the East coast demanded open borders.
  • C. The industrial North supported high protective tariffs, while Southern and Western farmers viewed them as a burden that raised consumer costs.
  • D. Both Northern and Southern states unified against Western territories to keep tariff revenue concentrated on the East Coast.
Question 4 of 7
What significant structural change did the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934 introduce to US trade policy?
  • A. It permanently eliminated all tariffs on agricultural imports to help starving citizens during the Depression.
  • B. It shifted the power to negotiate tariffs from Congress to the president, focusing on bilateral cooperation.
  • C. It established the first federal income tax to replace tariffs as the primary source of government revenue.
  • D. It withdrew the United States from all international trade organizations to protect domestic markets.
Question 5 of 7
During the Cold War, why did reducing trade barriers receive strong bipartisan support in the United States?
  • A. Trade liberalization was viewed as a strategic tool to rebuild global stability, contain communism, and cement US influence.
  • B. Both parties realized that high tariffs were causing massive inflation in the domestic housing market.
  • C. The Soviet Union threatened military action unless the United States opened its markets to Eastern European goods.
  • D. Labor unions successfully lobbied both parties to support free trade to increase the export of American union-made goods.
Question 6 of 7
According to the text, what contributed to the fracturing of the bipartisan consensus on free trade in the 1990s and 2000s?
  • A. The sudden collapse of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which left the US without global trading partners.
  • B. A Supreme Court ruling that declared presidential trade negotiations unconstitutional.
  • C. The end of the Cold War's geopolitical rationale and the hollowing out of American manufacturing due to global competition.
  • D. A new constitutional amendment that required all trade agreements to be approved by a national popular vote.
Question 7 of 7
Throughout American history, how has the primary function of trade policy evolved according to the book?
  • A. It started as a tool to promote global peace, became a way to protect agriculture, and is now solely focused on technology exports.
  • B. It began as a practical necessity for government revenue, evolved into a tool for industrial protection, and eventually became a proxy for deep political anxieties.
  • C. It originated as a system to manage immigration, shifted to funding the military, and currently serves to regulate multinational corporations.
  • D. It started as a purely technocratic issue managed by courts and has only recently become a topic of congressional debate.

Clashing over Commerce — Full Chapter Overview

Clashing over Commerce Summary & Overview

Clashing Over Commerce (2017) traces the evolution of US trade policy from the founding era to the twenty-first century, focusing on the political and economic forces that shaped it. It explores the recurring debates between protectionism and free trade, showing how these conflicts reflect deeper shifts in national priorities and global engagement.

Who Should Listen to Clashing over Commerce?

  • Curious historians of American economic policy
  • Policy-focused economists studying trade dynamics
  • Anyone interested in US trade or politics

About the Author: Douglas A. Irwin

Douglas A. Irwin is a professor of economics at Dartmouth College and a leading expert in international trade and economic history. His best-selling works include Free Trade Under Fire and Peddling Protectionism, both widely cited for their insights into the politics and economics of trade.

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