Jefferson, the Democratic-Republican Party, and the Virginia School of political thinkers saw it a generation before that. The tariff provision in the constitution was only intended to fund the government, not to protect favored industries.
Also one of the causes of the Revolutionary War was the British Empire told the colonies that they to send their stuff only to Britain and buy stuff from Britain only..
A little off-topic...or a thread within a thread -
Your exchange has prompted me to ask a question. In the latest issue of History magazine, the front page article squarely places the blame for the current financial crisis (and bank failures throughout US history) on Thomas Jefferson.
Entitled “Who got us into this mess, how Thomas Jefferson’s hatred of banks led to the panic of 2008,” the article states that his distrust of govt and loathing of the English central banking system not only quashed the development of a central bank here in the US, but it also laid the groundwork for 200 years of a viciously cyclic economy and perpetually unstable banks.
Now, it seems to me that Jefferson had the right idea and the author’s interpretation is a bit far-reaching, but I’m no economist, and I only pretend to be an historian when the topic better suits me, so I’m wondering if either of you has any thoughts on the subject.
I appreciate you sharing that. It’s a detail of which I wasn’t aware and which I am glad to know. It really does emphasize that what we were taught was likely at best substandard. What our children are being taught....oh, my, words fail me.
And each time I think in this way, a scene from ‘I, Claudius’ pops into my head: Antonia, the (authentically) patrician mother of Claudius is reproving her daughter for dallying with Sejanus, pointing out that (1) he’s married and (2) the only reason he’s interested in the girl is that she is in line to succeed Tiberius. The girl ignores the first, intending to supplant the woman whatever her protests and dismisses the second, airily saying, “Oh, mother, modern people don’t bother about that Republican stuff anymore. No one but Claudius pays any attention to that.”
I don’t know about you, but when I see our current political masters and mistresses airily sweep aside centuries of dearly preserved freedoms for personal profit, that thought and their actions send a chill down my spine. I’m so glad I moved out of Blue America and into the Red (just barely: NC, after all, still votes Democratic because Daddy did).