Washington signs Tariff Act of 1789, creating first U.S. revenue law and customs enforcement system

President George Washington signed the Tariff Act of July 4, 1789 — the first substantive legislation passed by the First Congress — imposing duties on 84 categories of imported goods. The companion Collection Act of 1789 created the U.S. Customs Service and designated ports of entry. For the first century of the republic, customs revenue funded roughly 80% of federal government operations, including construction of Washington, D.C., and the military academies.