Protectionists often claim that the vibrant post-Civil War economy proves that protectionism can hasten economic growth. But this flawed interpretation of post-bellum progress ignores the massive unrestricted immigration and foreign-capital inflows that fueled the era’s great increase in output.

Cecil E. Bohanon is a professor of economics at Ball State University.
T. Norman Van Cott is a professor of economics at Ball State University.
Defense and Foreign PolicyEconomyFree Market EconomicsImmigrationInternational Economics and DevelopmentLaw and LibertyTrade
Other Independent Review articles by Cecil E. Bohanon
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Other Independent Review articles by T. Norman Van Cott
Spring 2007 Doomsters, Evil I’s, and Tunnel-Vision Economics
Spring 2003 More on Voting
Spring 2002 Now More Than Ever, Your Vote Doesn’t Matter
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