Customs – only Revenue for Uncle Sam!
AFTER declaring its independence in 1776, the struggling young nation – US of A found itself on the brink of bankruptcy. Responding to the urgent need for revenue, the First Congress passed and President George Washington signed the Tariff Act of July 4, 1789, which authorized the collection of duties on imported goods. It was called "the second Declaration of Independence" by the news media of that era. Four weeks later, on July 31, the fifth Act of Congress established Customs and its ports of entry.
For nearly 125 years, Customs funded virtually the entire government, and paid for the nation's early growth and infrastructure. The territories of Louisiana and Oregon, Florida and Alaska were purchased; the National Road from Cumberland, Maryland, to Wheeling, West Virginia, was constructed; and, the Transcontinental Railroad stretched from sea-to-sea. Customs collections built the nation's lighthouses; the U.S. military and naval academies; the City of Washington; and, the list goes on. The new nation that once teetered on the edge of bankruptcy was now solvent. By 1835, Customs revenues alone had reduced the national debt to zero!