History of tariffs in the United States

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/history-of-tariffs-in-the-united-states

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the historical tariff periods?Revenue Period (c. 1790–1860), Restriction Period (1861–1933), Reciprocity Period (1934–Present)
2. What is the post-wwii tariff rate (approximate average)?Declined to approximately 5% by the mid-20th century, promoting global free trade
3. What are tariffs and why did America use them early on?Tariffs are taxes on goods that come from other countries. In the early United States, they were the main way the government made money to pay for things like roads and the army.
4. How did tariff rates change between 1790 and 1860?Tariff rates started at about 20% and grew to an average of 60% by the middle of the 1800s as the country needed more money.

Customs Duties: Taxes levied on imported goods, often synonymous with tariffs.
Protectionism: An economic policy of protecting domestic industries from foreign competition through tariffs and other restrictions.
Trade Liberalization: The process of reducing or removing trade barriers between countries to encourage more open trade.