This is a second attempt at asking as I didn't get an answer when I posted last week.
I'm currently an AP US History student. I've noticed my book has spent a lot of time discussing how various tariff bills were passed or how the issue divided the parties during different time periods. Despite tariffs being a persistent issue, we've never really discussed exactly what tariffs are or their larger political/historical implications in my class. I feel like I'm missing a huge political concept here.
QUESTIONS:
Why did the parties who supported/opposed tariffs feel the way that they did?
What was so controversial and divisive about tariffs?
How did the tariff issue change over time?
What tariffs had the largest affect on the country?
Why was the issue so persistent and what lead to it eventually tapering off (although, that's an assumption based on the fact that I never really hear them discussed as a modern political issue)?
I understand that these questions cover a huge span of years, but even an answer that was focused on a very specific time period would be helpful. Hopefully these aren't really stupid questions or ones that are unanswerable. If my questions are too broad, I could try to further narrow them down.
EDIT: grammar
I will do my best to answer your question, however I would note that because of the huge span of years and the evolving nature of the political battles it is very difficult to create a short post in regards to this question. At the same time it covers a huge breadth of time, I will have to regulate my own answer to the founding through Civil War, as that is largely the time period of political history I study.
First let me note that there are two different types of tariffs. The first and least controversial is the revenue tariff. Revenue tariffs serve to provide the primary means of funding for the Federal government in the early Republic. Revenue Tariffs differ from protective tariffs in that they are often explicitly "sold" on providing revenue and their rates are to low to provide any real protection. Protective tariffs serve to provide revenue and protect American industry and manufacturing. The rates will be higher than a revenue tariff and they will have varying rates. Goods that can't be produced in the United States will have low rates, goods that are made in the United States but in small quantities will have moderate rates, and goods that can be easily produced in the United States will have very high tariffs. Protective tariffs will generally politically be opposed by two groups, Northern Freetraders and some Southern planters. I say some planters because contrary to what many think many Southerners supported tariffs, particularly in the Upper South where there was "factories" and Louisiana where planters competed with West Indies sugar. Many Westerners also supported tariffs, they provided funding for internal improvements and were seen as a way of helping to develop the "west".
I'll follow this up later with the first tariff and subsequent tariff battles