The Tariff Act of 1930, otherwise known as the Smoot–Hawley Tariff (P.L. 71-361) was an act, sponsored by United States Senator Reed Smoot

Reed Smoot

Reed Owen Smoot was a native-born Utahn who was first elected to the United States Senate from Utah in 1903, and served as a Senator until 1933...

 and Representative Willis C. Hawley

Willis C. Hawley

Willis Chatman Hawley was an American politician and educator in the state of Oregon. A native of the state, he would serve as president of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, where he earned his undergraduate and law degrees before entering politics...

, and signed into law on June 17, 1930, that raised U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 tariff

Tariff

A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....

s on over 20,000 imported goods to record levels.

The overall level tariffs under the Tariff were the second-highest in U.S. history, exceeded by a small margin only by the Tariff of 1828

Tariff of 1828

The Tariff of 1828 was a protective tariff passed by the Congress of the United States on May 19, 1828, designed to protect industry in the northern United States...

 and the ensuing retaliatory tariffs by U.S.