Department of Commerce DOC: Meaning, History, Agencies

By the mid-1890s, depression conditions which followed the “Panic of 1893” had caused the newly formed National Association of Manufacturers to set as a principal goal the formation of a Department of Commerce and Industry, which would include the independent Department of Labor and other agencies. Industrial Commission to investigate a number of economic and social problems, including the growing impact of corporate trusts on the national welfare. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was founded in 1901 as the National Bureau of Standards and was renamed in 1988. The NIST administers the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, first established in 1987, which recognizes outstanding quality achievement in business.

It is headed by the secretary of commerce, who reports directly to the president of the United States, and is a member of the president’s Cabinet. The Department of Commerce is headquartered in the Herbert C. Hoover Building in Washington, D.C. It had taken more than a century for the Congress to establish an executive department exclusively devoted to the commercial and manufacturing interests of the Nation.

It works closely with businesses, colleges, universities, and cities and towns to achieve those goals. The Bureau of the Census was officially established as a permanent office on March 6, 1902 (32 Stat. 51). Its major duties are authorized by the Constitution (which requires that a census of the U.S. population be conducted every ten years) and by laws codified in Title 13 of the U.S.

Problems with transportation of increased volumes of materials and goods had already led to the establishment of an Interstate Commerce Commission in 1887 to regulate railroad rates and access. Commercial and industrial interests thus provided the vital key needed to open the door to the drafting of the Constitution and to its final acceptance by the 13 existing states. In 1786, representatives from five states convened in Annapolis “to take into consideration the trade and commerce of the United States.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was formed in 1970. Included in this wide mandate are such activities as protection of marine species; preparation of nautical and aeronautical charts and geodetic surveys; prediction of ocean tides and currents; satellite observation of the atmosphere and oceans; and management of ocean coastal zones.

1. At this meeting, Alexander Hamilton, in a proposal cosigned by James Madison and Edmund Randolph, recommended a general meeting of all the states at a future convention.
2. It operates regional offices in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Mexico City, Milan, Paris, Sydney, Tokyo, and Toronto, as well as a Miami office that services South American markets.
3. It enforces existing policy on trade, intellectual property, and technology standards.
4. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was formed in 1970.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

In 1829, the Postmaster General was officially invited by President Andrew Jackson to join the Cabinet. The Department of the Interior came into being in 1849, and although broader duties had been proposed its focus became land and Indian affairs. As Hamilton had foreseen, an “adjustment” was made, a profound adjustment that fundamentally restructured the government. A national executive was authorized and new powers were given to the Congress. These included the power to “regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the several states.” The Technology Administration operates the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), which collects and distributes scientific and technical information generated by the U.S. government and foreign sources.

George Washington, interested 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 the conference. A 13-point agreement, covering tidewater navigational rights, toll duties, commerce regulations, fishing rights and debt collections, was drawn. It was the desire to promote the general welfare through expansion of commerce and industry that had brought the delegates to the fateful meeting in Philadelphia and made the Union possible. The Department of Commerce was originally part of the Department of Commerce and Labor, which was established on Feb. 14, 1903, by President Theodore Roosevelt. It became a standalone department when a separate Department of Labor was established on March 4, 1913, by President Howard Taft on his last day in office. Still, Congress did not act on proposals for a Cabinet department for commerce until Roosevelt succeeded to the Presidency and recommended creation of a combined Department of Commerce and Labor in his first State of the Union message in 1901.

By law, the census data collected from individuals must be kept confidential. However, statistics collected from the data are published for use by Congress, the executive branch, and the general pepperstone review public. The Bureau of the Census collects data on housing, agriculture, state and local governments, business, industry, and international trade. For a fee, the bureau will search records and furnish certificates to individuals who require evidence of age, relationship, or place of birth. The headquarters of the bureau is located in Suitland, Maryland, and the bureau operates 12 regional offices.

Mission Statement

The Bureau of Economic Analysis, formerly the Office of Business Economics, was established on December 1, 1953. The bureau prepares and interprets statistics on the gross domestic product, personal income, foreign trade, and many other national accounts relating to commerce. It makes statistics available through numerous media and publications, including the monthly Survey of Current Business. The Department of Commerce was originally created as the US Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903. It was subsequently renamed the Department of Commerce on March 4, 1913, as the bureaus and agencies specializing in labor were transferred to the new Department of Labor. As the Federal government grew and evolved, other bureaus were transferred to and from the Commerce Department, giving it a rich history and unique role in the Cabinet.

Key Takeaways

In 1884, Congress established a Bureau of Labor in response to the urgings of labor. It was constituted as a separate department in 1888, but without Cabinet status. In 1785, legislators from Virginia and interactive brokers forex review Maryland recognized the need to work together to ensure mutually profitable commerce on the shared waterways of the Potomac River and agreed to meet.

National Institute of Standards and Technology

The office oversees the Bureau of the Census and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Another office that is of interest to small business owners is the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Utilization. This office is responsible for ensuring that the department purchases goods and services from small businesses. It helps small businesses identify with which bureaus small businesses should pursue potential buyers, clarifies who the key individuals at that bureau are, and provides small businesses with basic information on the procurement process.

In 1888, President Chester Arthur established the non-Cabinet level Department of Labor, which was intended to collect information about working people in the United States. In the late 1890s, pressure grew to establish a Department of Commerce to represent the interests of business. Labor leaders had been satisfied with the non-Cabinet department but objected to Cabinet status for business when it was not given to labor. By 1912, manufactures accounted for 47 percent of exports, up from 32 percent in 1902 and 18 percent in 1892, with a total value exceeding $1 billion for the first time.

The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Utilization also helps businesses develop marketing strategies. The ITA is responsible for successfully administering trade agreements with countries with desirable natural resources. It enforces existing policy on trade, intellectual property, and technology standards. This reassurance increases the competitive ranking of the United States by attracting high technology companies. The Department of Commerce is a cabinet-level agency of the U.S. federal government that supports business growth.

The U.S. Department of Commerce oversees the nation’s businesses to balance economic growth, create job opportunities, and improve America’s standard of living. They supervise domestic and international trade, support economic activities, and gather and analyze data relevant to the economy. It also pursues technology and patent protection to help American businesses maintain their edge over global competitors. Commerce bureaus also watch the climate and monitor consumer income, consumption, and employment levels. The Department of Commerce’s mission is to create the conditions for economic growth and opportunity for all communities.

Agriculture was the first industry of the country to be accorded an executive department by the Congress. With the new government in place, North Carolina and Rhode Island, the only two states yet to ratify the Constitution, found that their commerce and manufactures were to be treated in the same manner as those of any foreign country if they were not part of the United States. The period between the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the Constitutional Convention in 1787 had been tumultuous, marked by discord among the newly independent states. At the time, much of the commerce between states was conducted along the Atlantic seaboard and via the waterways flowing into the Atlantic or the inland rivers. The Articles of Confederation allowed each state the freedom to create regulations, tariffs, and currency and to tax neighboring states using their ports and throughways for interstate or foreign commerce. On March 4, 1913, nearly 125 years after the Constitution established promotion of the general welfare as one of the great goals of government, President William Taft signed legislation creating the Department of Commerce.