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At a moment when protectionist trade policy has returned to the centre of global economic debate, America's Neglected Protectionist Tradition recovers the deep intellectual roots of that impulse — roots that stretch back to America's founding and that represent a far more sophisticated economic tradition than is commonly understood. This work offers the most comprehensive treatment of the American protectionist school of economic thought, which originated with the ideas of Alexander Hamilton and Tench Coxe, and remained active throughout the nineteenth century. By drawing on the writings of nearly seventy economists and statesmen, it provides the first systematic account of a tradition whose dynamic, invention-driven vision of economic development stood as a genuine alternative to English classical economics. Central to the thinking of the American protectionist tradition is the idea of the economy as dynamic and inventive. Rather than seeing scarce resources as placing fixed limits on economic progress, the American Protectionists looked to invention, human ingenuity, and the diversity of talents and aptitudes as the means of forging the wealth of nations.
“Mathew Frith offers a masterful recovery of the protectionist school of political economy that shaped nineteenth-century America, restoring its analytical power and revealing its enduring relevance to contemporary debates over trade and development. This book will stand as the authoritative reference on the subject for years to come."—Carlos Eduardo Suprinyak, Associate Professor of Economics,
American University of Paris, France.
“Frith’s book fills a significant gap in the scholarly literature by offering what is to date the most comprehensive review of the theoretical underpinnings of America’s central contribution to the history of economic thought. An engaging and accessible read, America’s Neglected Protectionist Tradition reveals that protectionism is about much more than just tariffs.”—Christopher W. Calvo, Florida International University, USA; Author of The Emergence of Capitalism in Early America.
“This book is essential reading for those who still don’t acknowledge USA’s deep protectionist heritage which has returned with such a force today.”—Lars Magnusson, Emeritus Chair Professor of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden; Author of Mercantilism: The Shaping of an Economic Language.
Mathew A. Frith is an Australian economist specialising in American protectionist thought. He received his PhD from Federation University Australia in 2024 and is currently an economics lecturer at the University of New England (Australia).
List of Tables; Preface; Acknowledgments; Introduction; Chapter One Setting the Scene; Chapter Two The American System of Capitalism; Chapter Three The Social and Moral Philosophy of the American Protectionists; Chapter Four Theoretical Foundations of American Protectionist Thought; Chapter Five Theory of Value; Chapter Six Theory of Growth, Development, and Entrepreneurship; Chapter Seven Theory of Distribution and Social Mobility; Chapter Eight Theory of Population, Association, and Agglomeration; Chapter Nine Theory of the Business Cycle; Chapter Ten Theory of International Trade; Chapter Eleven Theory of Taxation; Conclusion; References; Index.