The United States Constitution, Article I, Section 8:
“The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;...To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations,...”
The Tariff Act of 1789 was the first national source of revenue for the newly formed United States.
Along with the Jekyll Island secret meeting that resulted in creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913, we were given the income tax amendment(of questionable ratification) and the growth in national debt that resulted in massive interest to the bankers.
The tariffs that we had in place to encourage foreign manufacturers to move to the USA for access to our market, and citizens to purchase of made in USA products. Removal of tariffs led to the biggest USA boondoggle of all “Free one way Trade” and the WTO that sacrifices our sovereignty. It was done to make Wall St rich and America less secure and poorer.