Free trade has been getting a bad name. The political landscape that has supported free trade for decades, however, has shifted significantly in recent years, and not only in the United States. Protectionist currents are sweeping across every part of the world. Well into the 20th century, protectionism was standard practice for many nations. In the United States, tariffs ranged between 25 and 50 percent in the late 1800s.

Read the article.