<P> The Tariff of 1816 (also known as the Dallas tariff) is notable as the first tariff passed by Congress with an explicit function of protecting U.S. manufactured items from overseas competition . Prior to the War of 1812, tariffs had primarily served to raise revenues to operate the national government . Another unique aspect of the tariff was the strong support it received from Northern states . </P> <P> The bill was conceived as part of a solution to the purely domestic matter of avoiding a projected federal deficit reported by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander J. Dallas . International developments added key facts to the debate; in 1816 there was widespread concern among Americans that war with Great Britain might be rekindled over economic and territorial issues . A tariff on manufactured goods, including war industry products, was deemed essential in the interests of national defense . </P>

What was the purpose of the protective tariffs on european goods after the war of 1812