John Quincy Adams, in a public speech delivered in 1843 in the town of Mr.McKennan's residence, ascribed to that gentleman the chief credit of carrying the Protective Tariff Bill through the House of Representatives.

The vote showed, as all tariff bills before had, and as all since have shown, that the local interest of the constituency determines in large measure the vote of the representative; that planting sections grow more and more towards free-trade and manufacturing sections more and more towards protection.
The friends of home industry have always referred with satisfaction to the effect of the tariff of 1842 as an explicit and undeniable proof of the value of protection.

It raised the country from a slough of despond to happiness, cheerfulness, confidence.

It imparted to all sections a degree of prosperity which they had not known since the repeal of the tariff of 1828.

The most suggestive proof of its strength and popularity was found in the contest of 1844 between Mr.Polk and Mr.Clay, where the Democrats in the critical Northern States assumed the advocacy of the tariff of 1842 as loudly as the supporters of Mr.Clay.