American Protectionist Thought: The Economic Philosophy and Theory of the 19th Century American Protectionists
PhD Thesis
Abstract: This study contributes to economic knowledge by recovering the system of economic philosophy and theory developed by the 19th century American Protectionists. The account provided in this thesis is comprehensive and covers all major aspects of their theoretical system. Put simply, this study provides an explication and clarification of the economic philosophy and theory of this important, yet neglected, school of economic thought. In doing so, the approach undertaken is one which goes beyond the writings of Alexander Hamilton, Friedrich List, and Henry Charles Carey, and instead draws upon the full corpus of American Protectionist literature. By drawing upon the writings of roughly seventy economists and statesmen from within this neglected tradition, this study has been able to consolidate and distil their ideas into a general and coherent system of economic theory. This thesis therefore recovers an important and original lens through which to interpret and understand the workings of the economy. This is important for both economists and historians of economic thought alike. Whereas most literature in the history of economic thought relegate the American Protectionists to a position of insignificance, this study demonstrates that their system is a refined and sophisticated doctrine of economic thought which rivalled, and even surpassed, other 19th century schools of economic thought. Indeed, against the Whig theory of history, which presupposes that economic knowledge progresses in a linear and upward manner, this thesis contends that superior theories can often be displaced by inferior ones, with knowledge being lost as a consequence. This thesis therefore advances the view that the system of thought developed by the American Protectionists is an example of where important and relevant economic knowledge has been lost. Rediscovering this lost knowledge is thus important not only for purely historical reasons, but for its ability to aid modern economic analysis.
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Examiner Feedback
“Frith has written a highly commendable thesis and should be congratulated. The work is thorough, carefully executed, and insightful. It constitutes an important contribution to the history of economic thought, re-examining the American protectionist school of thought... Frith is breaking new ground by showing the American protectionists had a coherent conceptual foundation on which they built a comprehensive analysis of all aspects of the economy... This thesis should stand as the authoritative treatment of the American protectionist school of economic thought.”
– Emeritus Professor Harry Bloch, Curtin University
“Frith's dissertation is an accomplished piece of scholarly research fully justifying the conferral of the title of Doctor of Philosophy on its author... There is no question in my mind that this work meets the standards of relevance and originality expected from a dissertation in the history of economics... The dissertation succeeds in establishing its main claim, namely, that the American Protectionists from the long 19th century constituted a coherent and systematic school of economic thought, which stood its ground alongside other, more well-known traditions of political economy... I could offer no greater praise of this dissertation than to confirm that once we reach the discussion of international trade in Chapter 13... all the pieces seem to fall very naturally into place... this provides a powerful vindication of the author's claim that the protectionists were indeed systematic political economists, rather than mere ideologues.”
– Associate Professor Carlos Eduardo Suprinyak, American University of Paris