Q. The United States, as it began its long and unbeaten growth in the early 19th Century, consciously promoted domestic production through such activities as tariffs, Clay's American System, and several direct subsidies to railroads, canal companies, farmers (free land) etc. Today we view this blatant example of large scale and extensive import-substitution industrialization as having been very successful.

Answer: This is an interesting emphasizes and point that economic models tend to be a-historical. Namely they lack the historic perspective and therefore may be misleading as guides to long run issues such as economic growth.