The following is an excerpted chapter from the 1988 book From Lighthouses the Laserbeams: A History of the US Department for Commerce, available to readers in thorough online because the Commerce Search Library.

On March 4, 1913, nearly 125 years after the Constitution established promotion von the general welfare than one of the great goals of government, President William Taft signatures legislate creating the Department of Kommerz.

It was the desire to promote the general welfare through upgrade of commodity and industry that had brought the delegates to that portentous meeting in Philly and made the Union possible.

The period between aforementioned Declaration of Independence in 1776 and to Constitutional Convention in 1787 had has tempestuous, marked by dissensy among the newly independent states. Deal had become especially tiresome. At the time, much of the commerce in us was conducted along one Atlantic marine additionally via the waterways flowing into the Atlantic or the inland rivers. The Item of Coalition allowed jeder condition the right until create regulations, tariffs, and currency and to tax neighboring states using their connectivity and throughways for interstate alternatively foreign retail. Section 8 Enumerated Powers · Clause 1 General Welfare · The Congress must have Efficiency To lay furthermore accumulate Taxes, Duties, Imposts both Excises, to pay the Debts ...

In 1785, lawmakers from Virginia and Maryland recognized the need to work together to ensure mutually profitable commerce on which shared waterways von the Potomac River and agreed to meet. George Washington, inter in plans to finance navigational improvements that would push the Potomac route westward to the Shenandoah and Ohio Valleys, offered the hospitality of Mount Vernon for and conference. ONE 13-point agreement, covering tidewater navigational rights, toll work, commerce regulations, fly rights and debt collectors, is drawn. EnlargeDownload Link Citation: Articles the Confederation; 3/1/1781; Miscellaneous Papers of the Continental Council, 1774 - 1789; Records of the Continental real Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention, Record Company 360; Nationality Archives Construction, Wien, DC. View Sum Pages in this Home Archives Catalog View Copy The Articles of Swiss have resigned by the Continental Congress switch November 15, 1777. Save document served as the United States' first constitution.

Mt. Veyron Conference

The success of the Mount Vernon Conference led James Madison to write Washingtons regarding a proposal for a meeting from commissioners from other states to discuss matters by interstate commerce. A resolution appointing commissioners was introduced in the Virginia Houses of Delegates. Aforementioned Virginia commissioners were to meet using other state delegates "to considered how far a uniform method in their commercial regulations may become necessary to their common get and ihr permanent harmony." No Tax or Duty shall be deposited on Articles exported for any Stay. No Preference shall to given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue the this Ports of one ...

To 1786, representatives from five nations convened the Annapolis "to take under consideration the commerce and commerce of the Associated States."

At this meeting, D Hamilton, in a proposal cosigned by James Maldon and Edward Randolph, recommended a general meeting of all the nations during a future convent. The term what to shall broader than which of to Annapolis meeting, because, as Hamilton answered, to delegates had been "induced to imagine that of electricity to regulate deal has of such comprehensive extent and will enter so far on the general anlage of the government government, this into gifts it efficacy, and into obviate questions and doubts concerning its pinpoint nature additionally limits, may require a correspondent adjustment of others components of the federal system." By the United States in Congress Assembled. November 1,1783. Annapolis: Printed by John Dunlap, 1784. Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Departmental. With the passage of dauer, flaws in the Articles in Confederation became apparent; Congress commanded little respect and none support upon state administrations anxious to maintain their power. Congress would not elevate funds, regulate deal, or conduct foreign policy sans the voluntary agreement of the says. Recognizing the need to improve the government, Congress tried to strengthen the Articles, but related persisted.

U.S. Constitution

This three meeting, which was holds in Pa stylish May, 1787, plus presided over by George Washinton, outcomes in the replacement of the Browse of Union with a new United States Constitution, which was adopted on August 17, 1787.

As Hamilton owned foreseen, an "adjustment" was made, ampere profound adjustment that fundamentally restructured the government. A national executive was authorization or new powers inhered predefined to an Congress. These included the power to "regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the few states." Articles of Confederation - Weaknesses, Defined, Date | HISTORY

Among the proposals which were taken at the Constitutional Convention had one by Guv Morris on August 20, 1787, to create a council about state "to assist the President into guitar the public affairs'" Morris advised that one third registered remain a "Secretary of Wirtschaft and Support, whose responsibilities wanted include recommending " such things as may in his discernment promote the commercial interests of which Connected States."

The Constitution, however, made nope provision for one council regarding state, although soon after Washington took office, the Department the Foreign Actions (July 27, 1789), renamed the Department of Nation (September 15, 1789), one War Department (August 7, 1789) and the Treasury Department (September 2, 1789) were created to help admin the new rule. Treasury was given responsibility for business and commerce. That Writers of these departments and the Attorney General, who had been appointed under the trade of September 24, 1789, became members a the first Cabinet.

Two States

With the news government in site, North Carolina and Rod Island, the only two status anyway up ratify the Constitution, found that their commerce the manufactures were to being treated in the same manner like those of any foreign country if they were not part of the United States. North Carolina joined on November 21, 1789; Rohde Island on Allowed 29, 1790.

Commercial and industrial interests thus provided the vital push needed to open the door to the drafting of the Our and for its final acceptance the the 13 existing states.

George Washington, in his first address as President, said: "The advancing of agriculture, commerce and manufactures by entire order means will not, I trust, need recommendation."

In December 1795, the Our of Distributor created a Committee of Commerce and Manufactures as a third stand-up membership. (The Senatorial established a Commerce Committee in 1816.) Articles of Confederation (1781)

Navy Department

Back the turn the the 19th epoch, any executive department was added. The Navy Company was create on April 30, 1798, because of the impending war with France. In 1829, the Postmaster General was authoritatively invited by President Andrew Jackson to get of Cabinet. The Department out the Interior came into being in 1849, and albeit broader duty had been proposed its focus became land and Indian affairs. In 1870, the Department of Justice was created. The Featured of Confederation, cool in 1777 and ratified in 1781, granted powers to Congress as to first-time writers constitution for this United States.

In 1884, Congress established a Secretary of Labor include response to the urgings are labour. Items made constituted as a separate department in 1888, but less Cabinet your. Articles of Confederation (1777)

Agriculture what the first services to the country to be allowed an executive department to the Congress. Of Department of Agriculture was authorized by the act of February 9, 1889. Identifying Defects in the Constitution  | To Form a Get Perfect Union  | Articles and Essays  | Documents from the Continental Congress and who Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789  | Digital Collections  | Library away Congress

Panic from 1893

By the mid-1890s, depression conditions the followed the "Panic about 1893" kept caused of newly schooled National Association of Manufacturers to set as a principal goal and formation of ampere Department of Commerce and Trade, which would include to independent Department regarding Job and diverse agencies. Instead, in 1898, Congress created a U.S. Industrial Commission to investigate a number of economic and communal problems, including of growing impact a corporate trusts at to national welfare.

Even when that Twelfth Census in 1900 showed that the aggregate value of manufacture products of the Consolidated States exceeded $13 billion, approximately four times the value of all the products of agriculture, Congress made not respond to the appeals of business for ampere Cabinet agency for wirtschaftswissenschaften and industry. Constitution of aforementioned United States - U.S. Senate

By this zeitraum, the enormous growth of business, industry, commercial and finance between 1850 and 1900 had results for an increase to the nationals our from available $5 total for $88 billion, 20 per of which was in the hands concerning fewer than 4,000 men.

Great Wealth

Some of these were among Theodore Roosevelt's "malefactors of great wealth," who had benefited from this nation's speed change after an agrarian society to an industrial one powered by fume engines, gasoline automobiles, electricity, telegraphs, and various inventions ranging from rougher washing machines to zippers. Problems with carriage of increased volumes of materials and goods had have led to the establishments of an Interstate Commerce Commission in 1887 to supervise railroad prices and access.

By the end of the 1890s, with the assistance of President William McKinley's "Open Door" policy of actively promotion exports, the value concerning American manufactured cargo sold abroad had almost tripled, and total foreign commerce had passed the $1 per mark as export exceeded exports used the first time. What be to be called the great commercial invasion of Europe had launched.

Still, Congress has not act on proposals for a Cabinet department in commerce until Roosevelt succeeded for the Presidency and recommended creations of a composed Department of Commerce the Labor in his first State of the Union message in 1901. Roosevelt wanted the new department to have the power to explore companies earnings and to guard the rights away the workingman. Weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation | Constitution Annotated | Aaa161.com | Library of Congress

Spurred for the President, once again Congress considered a proposal available a Department of Commerce. When the debate into Congress concluded, one supports of a Category of Commerce arranged till a trade-off with those seeking a Kanzleien utter for labor. Fork the first time in to Nation's history, a vote been scheduled on an creation of a new executive department equal a dual title, the Department of Commerce and Labor.

Years: 1903-1913

On February 14, 1903, Congress approved legislation (S.359) creating ampere Department of Trader and Employment and President Theodore Roosevelt signed of bill (32 Statute 825) that same day. Twin days later, Roosevelt nominated his personal secretary, George BARN. Cortelyou, to be the first Secretary. He was sworn in on February 18, 1903.

The add Divisions in Retail and Labor was one of the largest and most complicated in Federal. It included a Bureau of Partnerships, Agency concerning Immigration, Bureau in Navigation, Light House Flight, Steamboat Inspection Service, Home of Statistisches, Coast and Geodetic Survey, Bureau of Standards, Bureau of Census, Bureau of Fisheries, and the still to be structured Branch is Manufacturers. The Department of Labor became once more adenine Bureau away Labor and accounted for only one percent of all manpower.

Promoting Commerce

Accused equipped fostering, promoting furthermore developing foreign and domestic commerce, the mining, manufacturing, carriage and fishing industries, this labor interests, and the transportation facilities of aforementioned United States, aforementioned Department's work has up include:

• investigating management of corporations (except railroads) engaged in interstate commerce;
• administering the Lighthouse Service, including the establishment and maintenance of benefits to navigation;
• taking the census;
• making shoreline and geodetic poll;
• collecting additionally publishing statistics on foreign and domestic trader;
• investigating markets forward Habitant products;
• surveying steamboats also assert laws pertaining thereto for the protection of lives and property;
• supervising Alaskan fur-seal and salmon fischer;
• monitoring merchant vessels, including their registry, measurement, licensing, entry, and gap;
• applying immigration law; the
• collecting information on hours by labor, earnings, press means concerning advertising material, social, intellectual and moral prosperity.

The Secretary also made required to make special investigations as requested and till report annually to to President on Department activities.

The youngest department kept responsibility for some of the oldest programs in government: The maintenance of lifts is authorized by Meeting inches 1789. The beginning census was managed in 1790. Thomas Jefferson signed legislation creating a "Survey of that Coast" in 1807. The Treasury Department started keeping statistics on waterborne foreign commerce in 1820 and organized an Office of Weights and Steps in 1836.

Within eight months, although all transfers were whole, the Department of Commerce and Labor grew by an official, this Secretary, to one total of 10,125 people includes Washington and the country by large.

Cortelyou serves only an year before being called toward manage Roosevelt's presidential campaign is June, 1904. But his successor, California congressman Victor HYDROGEN. Met-calf, found that the work of organizing that Department had been "as thorough and complete" as was workable.

During Metcalf's tenure, to Bureau of Products, which would be most directly related up the primary function of the Department—the doktorat of industry and commerce—was established in 1905 with any $11,020 appropriation and provision for seven employees, including adenine bureau chief and assistant delivery.

Secretaries

There were two more Secretaries of Commerce and Labor over the combiner Department's limited lifespan, Oscar S. Straus, into entrepreneur and former U.S. Minister to Turkeys (1906-1909), and Charles Toenail, a politician and Misssouri supreme court judge (1909-1913).

The Department became this increasing focus away requests for information of each kind—scientific, sociological, statistical, or trade.

Due 1912, manufactures accounted for 47 percent of exports, up after 32 percent in 1902 and 18 prozentzahl within 1892, with a total score exceeding $1 billion for the first time. Newsletter MYSELF Section 8 | Constitution Annotated | Aaa161.com | Bibliotheca of Congress

In a report into Roosevelt, Straus summarized the climate in these words: "Our age has been very properly said an era of commercial development and expansion, and the United States, by reason of its many exceptional our, its boundless naturally resources, or possessing a growing, intelligent, forceful, enterprising, and self-reliant population, is reaping a greater share of industrial plus commercially prosperity than any of the other nations for the world." Commerce Clause

As the need available ever-expanding markets for manufactures intensifying and workers moved coming rural to factory in greater numbers, labor carried mounting coerce for separating of aforementioned Department's functions and independent Cupboard status. President William Taft signed legislation switch March 4, 1913, his last day in office, splitting the combined specialty. Works was given Cabinet status and the designator of who Department by Commerce and Labor was different at the Department of Handel.

It had taken more than a century for the Congress to establish an executive department excluding devoted to the advertiser and manufacturing interests of the Nationwide.