What was the cause of rising tariffs between 1790 and 1860?

Answer 1

Rising tariffs between 1790 and 1860 were primarily driven by the need to protect emerging American industries from foreign competition and to generate revenue for the federal government. The Industrial Revolution prompted a push for economic self-sufficiency, especially in the North, leading to calls for higher tariffs. Additionally, sectional tensions between the industrial North and agrarian South intensified the debate over tariffs, with the South often opposing them due to their reliance on imported goods and export markets. This period saw tariffs used as both an economic tool and a point of political contention.