You can start with the Fordney–McCumber Tariff act.
The aforementioned Fordney tariff act and the follow on Smoot tariff act lit off a trade and tariff war with other countries. Up until these tariff acts began to be implemented we were running a trade surplus with the world. We opened the door to retaliatory tariffs on things we imported to this country from places like Switzerland, France and other places in Europe, South America and Asia.
It forced plants to close, people to be laid off and increased sometimes up to 90% the cost if imported merchandise that people wanted to buy in this country.
Thanks for bringing up the Fordney–McCumber Tariff act.
It seems that when it came about in 1922, Congress was acting in the nation's best interests in protecting American jobs for those coming back from the war. Initially, it seems it was successful in its goals and produced economic prosperity during the 'roaring twenties'.
Perhaps it indeed achieved its goals sufficiently to have been scaled back in the latter part of the 20s.
In any event, that tariff act may have lasted too long and caused some problems with our trading partners that escalated a situation when the Smoot Hawley act was under consideration.
This country has a history of use of tariffs and, if its usage remains solid to its goals, deserves to be a continued mechanism for preservation of American jobs.
That history and its worth were not brought up in a favorable light in prior discussions, and I do wish them to not always be seen to be some type of evil economic and political weapon.