How Tariffs Led to Civil War
The Untold Story of How Economic Policy Ignited America’s Bloodiest Conflict. Your Sunday Thought Piece
I’m going to put out some market commentary on the extraordinary events of the last few days either later today or tomorrow, but I have been wanting to share this interview for some time and today feels like the right moment.
We recorded it back in February, when I was in Florida, one of a series of programmes with Matty Ice and Cypherpunk’d about Daylight Robbery and the history of taxation.
This episode specifically discusses the impact of US tariffs in the 19th century and how big a factor they were in the lead up to the US Civil War. It is an extraordinary bit of history and one you are never taught. (If you thought the news was rigged, wait until you find out about history).
Here is the interview on YouTube, but you can also, if you prefer, get it via X, Apple podcasts or Spotify.
I hope you enjoy it.
Daylight Robbery: How Tax Shaped Our Past and Will Change Our Future is available via Amazon and all good book shops.
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Catch Up
This week on Wednesday we made the argument that Labour is going to have to u-turn on North Sea oil and gas, and looked at ways to invest around that.
And if you missed last Sunday’s video, here it is.
What is completely different now vs 1812 is that for recent decades leading up to today virtually all US trading partners have had tariffs on the U.S. imports into their country ( our exports) while the U.S. had little or none reciprocal tariffs…
Plus: these countries have built up heavy “non-tariff” restrictions that inhibit U.S. exports to these countries countries ( such as car bumpers made in U.S. don’t meet their bumper standards etc etc)
So Trump is using a simple step to level the trade playing field.
He is simply saying the U.S. will now Reciprocate tariffs of these countries are already tariffing the U.S….
And, generously, US is also saying:
“Let’s talk. Let’s have free trade zone with no tariffs by either side”
And if these countries don’t want to talk then the U.S. will simply now reciprocate by matching tariffs with these countries have been tariffing the U.S. for decades.
This is good for America and if anyone other than Trump had the brains and fortitude to do this the liberals would return to embracing it as they have over the past 40 years (lots of video of liberals supporting tariffs over the years)…
So, this is now, not 1812…
Fabians & fascists & Brits - oh, my!
Whitney Webb talks with Matthew Ehret:
https://rokfin.com/post/77719
"The war" never concludes.