Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: VoodooEconomics
The founders advocated free trade.

Alexander Hamilton wasn't one of them.

Indeed, the founding experience of the Republic cured it of the siren song of free trade for a long time. Both America and France were plunged into depression by the free trade policies which the British tricked them into adopting, as part of the 1783 treaty which ended the Revolutionary War.

Patriots in America succeeded in solving the crisis by creating a strong central government with the Constitution, and George Washington's and Alexander Hamilton's fiscal policies, funding the government with tariffs, and promoting the manufactures of diverse goods domestically...and hence strengthening the economic basis for UNION.

53 posted on 02/03/2006 12:38:00 PM PST by Paul Ross (Hitting bullets with bullets successfully for 35 years!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies ]


To: Paul Ross

The siren song here again!! My guess is the depression after the revolutionary war was maybe more a function of the US losing it's largest trading partner?? This dislocation led to a bunch of isolationist tariffs. This does not mean free trade is culprit - it was Brit economic nationalism more than free trade that started the fight.


58 posted on 02/03/2006 12:55:56 PM PST by VoodooEconomics
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 53 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson