In fourteen hundred ninety-two,
Columbus sailed the ocean blue…
Most of us have recited this rhyme to remember the year of America’s discovery, but how many know the motivation behind Christopher Columbus’ ocean voyage? Columbus was trying to find a new route to the far east, but why? The answer: to bypass the Silk Road tariffs.
As I delve deeper into the research for my next book, I’m once again reminded that the battles of our past echo loudly in our present. One issue that continues to resurface in my research—and in the very fabric of American history—is tariffs.
In Masque of Honor, tariffs were not just a background issue. They were central to the political unrest of the early 1800s. After the War of 1812, American markets were being flooded with cheap British goods. The North—just beginning to build its manufacturing base—was drowning in foreign competition. Factory owners couldn’t compete. Shops were closing. Northern leaders pushed hard for tariffs to protect American industry and help pay off war debts. Many of the militia men who had served in the War of 1812 hadn’t even been paid yet. Tariffs, they believed, could help right those wrongs.
But the South had a very different perspective. Their economy depended on the export of raw materials like tobacco, cotton, and grain. Much of that went to Britain and Europe. Southern leaders feared that if the United States imposed tariffs, Europe would retaliate—and their goods would sit, unsold, rotting on the docks. To them, tariffs weren’t just an economic inconvenience—they were a direct threat to their livelihoods.
This tension boiled over again just a few years later, during the final days of John Quincy Adams’ presidency and the rise of Andrew Jackson. The Tariff of 1828—dubbed by its critics as the “Tariff of Abominations”—sparked fierce debate and even talk of secession in South Carolina. Jackson would eventually confront the issue head-on, balancing protectionist policy with an unwavering commitment to the Union.
Fast forward to the Gilded Age—roughly 1870 to 1909—and tariffs were again at the forefront of political life. During this time, import duties on manufactured goods were staggeringly high, often between 40 and 50 percent. While they were intended to shield American industry, they also had unintended consequences. Labor productivity suffered, and debates raged over whether high tariffs were stifling innovation and competition.
The time period I’m exploring now (for a book I haven’t even announced yet)—post-Civil War, Reconstruction, and the emergence of the American industrial machine—is rich with these economic and political complexities. In fact, in the era of Veil of Doubt and The Grays of Truth, tariffs weren’t just policy—they were a lightning rod for national division.
Even today, we still see the same debates playing out. President Trump made headlines with his tariff policies, particularly with China. And while the names and specifics have changed, the core issue remains the same: how to balance the needs of industry, agriculture, consumers, and national security in a global marketplace.
So, while I continue to build the next chapter of my characters’ lives, I’m struck again by how persistent—and personal—these economic questions can be. Tariffs are not just numbers on a ledger or points of policy debate. They shape lives, fuel conflicts, and sometimes spark revolutions.
History has a way of repeating itself. And as a writer, that gives me endless stories to tell.
