[Paul Ross]

Abigale Adams begged her husband, in letters, to try to get her pins ( for sewing ) from Europe. They weren't made in America... And America has been buying "cheap goods", which were NOT made in America, for many, many, MANY generations; this is nothing new.

Uh, just what makes you think those pins were cheap??! Do you have any idea about the cost of importing things in those days?

Seems to me your usage of the Abigail Adams example and attempt to "pin" your hopes on that...points up a number of the free traders mistakes: The view of any reaonable person would be that the example instead proves the need, not for for free trade, but for a robust indigenous U.S. (or should I say, Colonial) manufacturing base. One which the British attempted to prohibit, so that they could monopolize manufactures. And btw, there weren't any egregious U.S. unions for you to genuflect against, unless you count the FreeMasons. And most of the Founders were such...

[nopardons]

No, those pins were NOT cheap at all. As a matter of fact, pins were never all "cheap", until modern history. Why else would the children's' rhyme ( "SEE A PIN, PICK IT UP, AND ALL DAY, YOU'LL HAVE GOOD LUCK." ) have become popular and an admonition, of sorts, to never ignore a pin?

I was merely using Mrs. Adams' requests to her husband, for IMPORT GOODS, to prove that Americans have ALWAYS bought things not made here. Gee, even when more things were manufactured here, many people still bought foreign goods instead.

The Masons were NOT a trade union, in the 18th century; pet. If you're going to attempt to "teach" someone a lesson...don't do so, when you, yourself, know less than nothing at all about the topic. And as one of the heads of the FreeMasonry List, you just brought up a topic which I knew more about, when I was four years old, than you do now. LOL