Trade Wars: The Collapse of America's Free Trade Consensus

By

Aaron Cavin

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Henry Morgenthau with President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Morgenthau and Roosevelt

Henry Morgenthau with President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944 outside of Poughkeepsie, New York.

A member of the Service Employees International Union protesting John McCain’s support of NAFTA.

Protesting NAFTA

A member of the Service Employees International Union protesting John McCain’s support of NAFTA in 2008.

1890 political cartoon demonstrating that U.S. trade policies have long been a concern of the U.S.

Sure Cure

1890 political cartoon demonstrating that U.S. trade policies have long been a concern of the U.S. A woman labeled “South American Trade” fainted and U.S. Secretary of State James G. Blaine seeks to revive her and is offered a bottle labeled “Free Trade Elixir” as a “Sure Cure.”

A 2010 summit meeting with ten nations negotiating the TPP.

TPP Negotiation Meeting

A 2010 summit meeting with ten nations negotiating the TPP.

A protester at the March for Clean Energy Revolution in Philadelphia.

Anti-TPP Protester

A protester at the March for Clean Energy Revolution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2016.

A June 2016 protest in Seattle, Washington against the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

TPP Protest

A June 2016 protest in Seattle, Washington against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit to the state for a fundraiser. The figures depicted are members of Washington State’s Democratic delegation who had not come out against the TPP.

A 1919 political cartoon depicting the U.S.’s reluctance to join the League of Nations.

Gap in the Bridge

A 1919 political cartoon depicting the U.S.’s reluctance to join the League of Nations despite President Woodrow Wilson’s role in its creation. The cartoon highlights the detrimental effects the U.S.’s refusal to join would have on the League.

A billboard sponsored by a local Chamber of Commerce during the Great Depression.

Joblessness

A billboard sponsored by a local Chamber of Commerce during the Great Depression reflecting the high rate of unemployment across the U.S.

A poor Oklahoma family in 1936.

U.S. Family During Great Depression

A poor Oklahoma family in 1936.

A protest against unemployment in Toronto, Canada.

Canadian protesters during Great Depression

A protest against unemployment in Toronto, Canada around 1930.

The German Army feeding the poor in 1931 Berlin.

German Army Feeding Poor

The German Army feeding the poor in 1931 Berlin.

Unemployed people in front of a London workhouse.

London Workhouse

Unemployed people in front of a London workhouse in 1930.

Leaders signing the U.S.-Canada Trade Agreement in 1935.

U.S.-Canada Trade Agreement

Seated from left to right, Cordell Hull, Canadian Prime Minister W.L. Mackenzie King, and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signing the United States-Canada Trade Agreement in 1935.

United Nations

The United Nations logo.

The World Bank

The World Bank logo.

The International Monetary Fund

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo.

1947 poster celebrating the importance of world trade.

World Trade Unites Nations

As part of a national security strategy, the U.S. Office of War Information created this 1947 poster celebrating the importance of world trade.

George H.W. Bush and other leaders sign the draft of NAFTA in 1992.

George H.W. Bush and NAFTA

Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari, President George H.W. Bush, and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney stand in the back as their trade and economic representatives sign the draft of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1992.

President Bill Clinton signing NAFTA.

Bill Clinton and NAFTA

President Bill Clinton signing NAFTA in 1993.

A 1996 Teamsters protest against new NAFTA trucking regulations.

Teamsters Protest

A 1996 Teamsters protest against new NAFTA trucking regulations that would allow Mexican trucks on U.S. roads.

Seattle Police spraying opponents of the World Trade Organization with pepper spray.

Seattle Protest

Seattle Police spraying opponents of the World Trade Organization (WTO) with pepper spray in 1999.

A protest sign from the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle, Washington.

World Trade Organization Protest Sign

A protest sign from the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle, Washington depicting the WTO as the Grimm Reaper stepping on the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act.

President Barack Obama meeting in Cambodia with potential signatories to the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Obama at TPP Meeting

President Barack Obama meeting in Cambodia with potential signatories to the Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2012.

A 2016 protest in Washington State likening the TPP to NAFTA.

NAFTA on Steroids

A 2016 protest in Washington State likening the TPP to NAFTA.

A 2012 protest against the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

A Backroom Deal for the 1%

A 2012 protest against the Trans-Pacific Partnership in Leesburg, Virginia.

A 2015 protest against the TPP in Washington, D.C.

Democracy Not Corporatocracy

A 2015 protest against the TPP in Washington, D.C.

Opposition to the TPP at the March for Clean Energy Revolution.

Climate Catastrophe

Opposition to the TPP at the March for Clean Energy Revolution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2016.

A 2014 protest in Seattle, Washington against the TPP.

Threat to Freedom, Food, Water

A 2014 protest in Seattle, Washington against the TPP.

A billboard for Walmart in Sichuan Province, China.

Walmart Billboard

A billboard for Walmart in Sichuan Province, China.

Workers at an electronics factory in Guangdong Province.

Chinese Factory Workers

Workers at an electronics factory in Guangdong Province in 2013.

Workers at electronics factories in Guangdong Province.

Chinese Factory Workers

Workers at electronics factories in Guangdong Province in 2005.

The Packard Automotive Plant in Detroit, Michigan closed in 1958.

Packard Automotive Plant

The Packard Automotive Plant in Detroit, Michigan closed in 1958.

An industrial robot places food on pallets in a factory.

Mechanization

An industrial robot places food on pallets in a factory.

Donald Trump at a 2015 campaign rally.

Trump Rally

Donald Trump at a 2015 campaign rally.

A t-shirt for supporters of President-Elect Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

"Build the Wall" T-Shirt

A t-shirt for supporters of President-Elect Donald Trump's 2016 campaign. "Build the Wall" was a common rallying cry for many Trump supporters who opposed immigration from Mexico.

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