How tariffs shaped America's wool story and its economy
This nonfiction study analyzes how the tariff influenced the American wool industry from colonial times through the Civil War and beyond. It frames wool-growing, the rise of the merino, and the evolution of the woolen manufacture as part of a larger economic history of the United States.
The book traces the forces that moved wool production, trade, and policy, showing how shifts in demand, technology, and price interacted with government policy. It explains what happened to the industry during periods of rapid change and why certain regions rose or fell in prominence.
- Learn how external factors like war, trade, and technology redirected the wool market
- See how pastoral and agricultural trends intersect with industrial growth
- Understand the role of tariffs in shaping production and protection debates
- Explore the development of wool-growing as a commercial activity and its regional shifts
- Gain a broad view of the era’s economic history and its lasting effects
Ideal for readers of economic history and policy, this edition offers clear, step-by-step analysis that helps connect past events to present questions about industry and tariff policy.