What is the Wilson-Gorman Tariff of 1894?
Q: What is the Wilson-Gorman Tariff of 1894?
A: The Wilson-Gorman Tariff of 1894 (also called the Income Tax Act of 1894) was a bill passed by Congress that reduced the tariffs on certain imports into the United States.
Q: What other provisions were included in the final version?
A: The final version lowered duties slightly, but added a number of other provisions. One of these was a 2% federal income tax. Other items such as coal, lumber, and wool were added to the duty-free list, while sugar was removed from the duty-free list (where it had been included as a result of the McKinley Tariff of 1890).
Q: How long have debates over tariffs been going on for?
A: Debates over tariffs have been going on since America became a country. As the US became increasingly industrialized, the debates became more heated.
Q: What did Democrats hope to accomplish with this act?
A: Democrats hoped to help recover from an economic depression caused by Panic of 1893 by lowering tariffs and making up for lost revenues through a federal income tax. They also believed if they lowered tariffs other countries would follow suit and they could push through a direct tax on personal income.
Q: Did this act achieve its goals?
A: No, this act failed to achieve any of its goals and was repealed by Supreme Court decision Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co as being unconstitutional one year later.
Q: Was there an indirect cause for Spanish–American War related to this tariff?
A: Yes, indirectly, this tariff was seen as contributing cause to Spanish–American War due to its failure in achieving its goals.
