Which 1930 U.S. law sharply raised tariffs on many imported goods during the Great Depression?

The Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act sharply raised U.S. tariffs on many imported goods during the Great Depression.

Signed by President Herbert Hoover on June 17, 1930, the law increased duties on thousands of imported products. Senator Reed Smoot and Representative Willis Hawley sponsored the legislation, which was intended to protect American farmers and producers from foreign competition.

Many trading partners responded with tariffs of their own. International trade contracted dramatically during the Depression, although economists debate how much of that decline was caused directly by Smoot–Hawley rather than by falling incomes, banking failures and other shocks.

The act is commonly cited as a warning against protectionism during a global downturn. It did not cause the 1929 stock-market crash, which had already occurred before the law was enacted.