Question

How did the tariff of 1816 differ from the tariff in Hamilton’s Plan during the early 1790s?

Answer 1

The tariff of 1816 was the first tariff passed by Congress with an explicit function of protecting U. S. manufactured goods from overseas competition. Prior to this, tariffs had been used to raise revenue to operate the national government. The tariff was supported by Northern states, while Southern ones opposed any type of protective tariffs.

Alexander Hamilton's proposal, on the other hand, established an increase in the average rate from 5 percent to between 7 and 10 percent, and proposed the passage of an excise tax. This was passed as a necessary measure for the government to create revenue for its operating expenses as well as to pay its foreign and domestic debt. Hamilton also proposed making imported goods more expensive in order to motivate Americans to buy homemade products. This was different from the 1816 tax in that the revenue was to be in the price of the product, and not in a tariff imposed on imports. However, the proposition failed as it was considered to be essentially a tariff in practice.