Clashing Over Commerce

A History of US Trade Policy. Should the United States be open to commerce with other countries, or should it protect domestic industries from foreign competition? This question has been the source of bitter political conflict throughout American history. Such conflict was inevitable, James Madison argued in The Federalist Papers, because trade policy involves clashing economic interests. The struggle between the winners and losers from trade has always been fierce because dollars and jobs are at stake depending on what policy is chosen, some industries, farmers, and workers will prosper, while others will suffer. Douglas A.