Read Chernow's book on Alexander Hamilton. Protectionism is part and parcel of how America changed from a Third World nation to a world player. Do you truly argue that Hamilton was a leftist?
tsk,tsk,tsk............holes in your historical knowledge.Hamilton was never the president.But Jefferson was and wanted the USA to join with the blood lust filled French "revolutionaries",but was thankfully over ruled.Then there was Monroe and his DOCTORINE.Of course,there's always TR's ( yes,I know he wasn't president then!)/Hearst's little Cuban intervention to talk about,as well as other such adventures to talk about.
America was NEVER considered to be a "force",until WW I and even after that,there was a concerted effort made to convince the Europeans that the USA was NOT some third world country,but one which was filled with intellectuals and "artists" worthy of sophisticated tastes.
What REALLY pushed America into first world status was WW II.