Report of the Secretary of State, on the Privileges and Restrictions on the Commerce of the United States in Foreign Countries. Published by Order of the House of Representatives.

iv, [5]-20 pp. 8 1/4 x 5. Thomas Jefferson's argument in favor of a policy of free trade, advocating for international commerce, while also recommending the enactment of "counter prohibitions, duties and regulations" on nations restricting their trade with the United States (e.g., Great Britain). The issuance of this report was a turning point for U.S. foreign policy, marking the moment the nation had to make difficult political and economic decisions regarding its relationship with Britain. When it was issued, more than 60% of U.S. imports and exports benefited Britain, and Britain also imposed duties and other restrictions on them. Originally composed in 1791 at the behest of the House of Representatives, but opposition from Alexander Hamilton delayed its release. The idea of tariffs imposed on other countries was very new to U.S. governmental policy (it was established at the Constitutional convention of 1787), and they proved immediately divisive. Hamilton favored imports as a source of tax revenue, and preferred to maintain an amicable relationship with Great Britain; Jefferson and Madison wanted to instead utilize tariffs as a method for exerting the U.S.'s newfound political independence and protecting its interests from foreign intereference. The underlying issues revealed by the report remained controversial for the next two years, and Jefferson resigned from his position as Secretary of State just two weeks after the report was issued. An important document in the history of the United States, and specifically with relation to the place of the U.S. in global politics and commerce.