[PeaRidge]

Brojoke, if I have told you once, I have told you a half dozen times on other threads that your data is wrong on export/import data.

If you want to use the year 1860, your figure of import value of $362 million is the amount reported to Treasury as recorded at the ports, but only $268 million of those goods were dutible, or in other words subject to the duty prescribed by Federal Law.

So your comment: "Total imports for that year -- on which tariffs supported Federal revenues..." is incorrect by 25%.

That makes your conclusion: "So, we could reasonably suggest that cotton supported 53% of total imports, and therefore 53% Federal revenues." is totally and completely wrong.

[BroJoeK]

PeaRidge: "If you want to use the year 1860, your figure of import value of $362 million is the amount reported to Treasury as recorded at the ports, but only $268 million of those goods were dutible, or in other words subject to the duty prescribed by Federal Law."

Like I said, if you exclude this or add that, you can make those numbers say whatever you wish.

However, you need to think very carefully about the claim made by pro-Confederates, then and now.
Their claim goes like this:

1. Yes, there is no duty on exports, but only exports can pay for imports on which there are Federal tariffs.

2. Exports of cotton in 1860 were circa $191 million.
   These helped to pay for a total of $362 million worth of imports on which the Federal government collected average 15% tariffs, totaling $52 million.

3. Since cotton's $191 million in exports helped support all $362 million in imports, it's fair to say cotton paid 53% of total 1860 Federal tariff revenues of $52 million.

It's certainly not fair to say that cotton exports only paid for dutiable imports, when in fact, all exports helped pay for both dutiable and non-dutiable imports.

Here is a source for tariff & revenues data

[jmacusa]

‘Round and ‘round it goes but it all comes out the same— The South was itching for a fight. It started war and it lost. History pays scant attention to reason. Results matter and the result was the slavers and the secessionists lost.