December is “Made in America” Month

Buy American. Made in the USA. Many of us try to bolster our economy by shopping locally, or by at least not adding appreciably to the number of shipping containers coming to our shores from China and other countries. But what does “Made in America” actually mean? I decided to look further into the concept after learning that December is recognized as Made in America Month. The original designation was made in 1985, when then-President Ronald Reagan aimed “to celebrate the excellence of American products.” You can read his full statement by clicking here. (Note that the U.S. government maintains millions of other documents, letters, and archival materials online, which your Mercer County librarian can help you access!)

Buying American is fairly easy when the products are food, spirits, crafts, and other artisanal items. But in our age of interconnected economies, it’s much more difficult to buy wholly-American manufactured products. An iPhone, for example, was engineered in Silicon Valley but may be assembled in Taiwan or China, with Corning glass from Kentucky and batteries manufactured using lithium mined in South America. The benefits of this arrangement include cheaper prices and seamless product availability for consumers, but there are negative effects as well.

As globalization is here to stay, you can learn more about it from books such as these found in the Mercer County Library System:

The World is Flat. Thomas Friedman explains what the explosion of globalization has meant to countries, companies, communities, and individuals; and how governments and societies must adapt.

The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. Naomi Klein describes the ways capitalism uses natural and financial disasters to create policies that benefit corporations.

From Global to Local. Finbarr Livesey dismantles current underlying assumptions that drive the decisions made by companies and governments throughout the world, and considers the ways in which the rules for a global economic landscape are being rewritten.

Good Economics for Hard Times. MIT economists Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo take on the globalization challenges of our time and report that we have the resources to address them if we “jump the wall of disagreement and distrust that divides us.”

Vanishing Frontiers. Andrew Selee looks at an emerging Mexico, and shows how it increasingly influences our daily lives in the United States in surprising ways.

Straight Talk on Trade. Dani Rodrik, an early and outspoken critic of economic globalization taken too far, takes globalization's cheerleaders to task for practicing bad economics and ignoring the discipline's own nuances that should have called for caution.

Factory Man. Beth Macy describes how the chairman of Vaughan-Bassett Furniture fought for his employees in a small Virginia town using legal maneuvers, factory efficiencies, wits and determination, in the wake of sales losses to cheap Asian furniture imports.

American Enterprise: A History of Business in America. This companion book to an ongoing exhibit at the National Museum of American History traces American commerce through four time periods, including the Global Era, and examines the interrelationships of capitalism and democracy.

Thus armed with knowledge of the pros and cons of interconnected economies, how can we find products that are made entirely in the U.S.? It used to be much easier, as indicated by the familiar sign on the Route 1 bridge that reads “Trenton Makes, the World Takes.” That sign harkens back to a time when American manufacturing was in its heyday. Check out this surprisingly extensive list from 1931 of manufacturers and industries in the Trenton area alone. Few, if any, of these companies are producing stateside any longer.

When shopping for American-made, an important thing to keep in mind is product labeling. It turns out that an item with the Made in USA label complies with regulations of the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC requires that “all significant parts, processing, and labor that go into the product must be of U.S. origin.” Another label you might find is “Assembled in the USA.” But that means only that substantial assembly took place in the U.S.; the raw materials could be from anywhere. Note that the term “Made in America” (as opposed to “Made in USA”) is not a regulated label, and many companies trumpet their American roots but are now part of a global conglomerate. Even Ben & Jerry’s was sold to Unilever!

This holiday month, as we seek out U.S. manufacturers for our décor and gifts, these websites can assist in our search:

Finally, for inspiration from some American makers and businesses, consider these titles available at the library:

Craft: An American History by Glenn Adamson. An exploration of the many artisans who have been the heart of America’s identity since the beginning. From Paul Revere to today’s maker movement, from Betsy Ross to Rosa Parks, from suffrage banners to the AIDS quilt, makers have had a central role in shaping America’s identity.

Homemade for Sale by Lisa Kivirist. A guide to setting up and marketing a food business. [As New Jersey does not have Cottage Food Laws, all food created for sale to the public in Mercer County must be made in a commercial kitchen. Check TheKitchenDoor.com for a list of community kitchens.]

How to Show and Sell Your Crafts by Torie Jayne. Guide to branding, selling, and merchandising online and in person, using craft fairs, pop-ups, exhibitions, and shops.

Made from Scratch, the Legendary Success Story of Texas Roadhouse by Kent Taylor. The late business maverick Kent Taylor tells the story of Texas Roadhouse, and in the process reveals its recipe for success using unconventional methods and having fun.

Buying American is possible with enough time, resources, and flexibility. Happy holidays!

- by Kathleen N., Ewing Branch

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