I can’t help but yearn for that era when earning an honest living with your hands was celebrated, and there was more than enough work available. Entering a trade was a viable alternative to a college education and often led to a more prosperous livelihood. Of course, we were the greatest manufacturing country in the world with our GDP far exceeding that of competitive nations. Well guess what? We still are.

America garners 20.8 percent of the world’s GDP with China trailing us at 12 percent, according to the International Monetary Fund. Yes, it’s true – we’ve lost millions of manufacturing jobs during this recession, and, chances are, we haven’t bottomed out yet. But when America recovers from this economic plague, and I know we will, we will face an industrial tsunami unless we begin to prepare for it now.

From time to time, American consumers have spent substantial amounts of money on foreign goods. Occasionally, some have citizens decided to protest foreign goods and services they feel weaken the American workforce and economy.

In certain decades of the 20th century, many American buyers sported bumper stickers and T-shirts with Buy American emblazoned on them. Some of these folks were extremely upset about Japanese cars sold in this country, including Honda and Toyota.

While US consumers purchase a mix of goods produced elsewhere and in America, many prefer domestic goods when considering certain items, and some will purchase only American made products.

American products can be discovered online and this Hub will present an overview with a link to FTC definitions of "Made in America" and a directory of several places in which to find such products.

Many of these items can also be purchased online.