It was national interest in the view of Hamilton, the driving force behind the bill. It was expressly intended to give protection to American manufactures.
You do understand the founders were the original majority whose passions the US Constitution was written to constrain? They did not view themselves as infallible or perfect and thus they wrote a constitution that:
1. Tried to constrain the power of government.
2. Allowed for amendments to correct any issues that cropped up with the constitution they wrote.