Vol. 42, No. 10
A Blueprint for Trade Sovereignty
AT A GLANCE
• Trade, tariffs, and economic independence were very important to the Founding Fathers.
• The Constitution gives authority over trade and tariffs to Congress, not the president.
• The United States must get out of “free trade” agreements and reassert its economic independence.
To most Americans, the subject of tariffs or international trade policy sounds technical, distant, uninteresting, and best left to the “experts” — economists and diplomats. But trade policy affects nearly every aspect of daily life — from the price of home goods, groceries, and gasoline to the availability of jobs and the survival of domestic industries. In fact, few issues strike closer to the heart of American sovereignty and independence than tariffs and trade.
Whether you are renovating or building a home, buying a car, or simply trying to make ends meet, trade decisions made in Washington — or increasingly overseas — reach directly into your pocket and affect the future of America as a free and independent nation. And yet few Americans realize just how far the United States has drifted from the Constitution and the Founders’ vision when it comes to regulating trade with foreign nations.
The Founding Fathers had much to say about tariffs, commerce, and economic independence. Their views were clear, deliberate, and forged from turbulent experience. For most of American history, the Founders’ system worked. Only in the 20th century did Congress abdicate its constitutional responsibility, paving the way for global trade bureaucracies that have increasingly claimed authority over U.S. law.
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