ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Tariffs in United States history

So imagine you're playing with your toys and your friend wants to play with them too. They ask if they can borrow them, but you want to protect your toys and make sure they don't get broken or lost. So, you make a rule that your friend can only borrow your toys if they give you something in return, like a sticker or a piece of candy. This is like what the United States government does with tariffs.

A tariff is like a rule for toys, but it's for products that come from other countries. The government puts a tax, or an extra cost, on these products to protect American businesses and jobs. For example, if a company in China makes and sells toys to America, the U.S. government might put a tariff on those toys to make them more expensive for people to buy. This could encourage people to buy toys made by American companies instead.

Tariffs have been around for a long time in the United States. In fact, the very first tariff was created in 1789! Over the years, tariffs have been used for different reasons. Sometimes they are used to protect American businesses, sometimes to punish other countries for doing something the U.S. government doesn't like, and sometimes to encourage American businesses to make more products at home.

One of the most famous examples of tariffs in United States history was during the Great Depression in the 1930s. The government put high tariffs on many products from other countries, hoping to protect American jobs and businesses. But some people say that this actually made things worse, because other countries retaliated by putting tariffs on American products too. This made it harder for American companies to sell their products overseas, leading to even more job losses.

Overall, tariffs are a way for the United States government to protect American businesses and jobs. But they can also have some negative effects, like making products more expensive for people to buy and making it harder for American companies to sell their products overseas.