The History of us Customs

The history of the U.S Customs dates back to 1789. The Customs department was one of the first agencies to come to life. It is a branch of the department of treasury responsible for levying and collecting taxes on imported goods. In the early 1900's most government income was received from the Customs Service. The revenue it raises is now exceeded only by that brought in by the Internal Revenue Service. Corruption in this department dates all the way back to the Civil War. Pay for Customs agents wasn't the greatest, but somehow they still ended up with plenty of money. The customs department has had to deal with problems from prohibition to drug trafficking. My paper will focus on corruption within the U.S Customs, mainly the findings of government reports and the real life experiences of Customs Agents. I chose to write my paper on corruption within the Customs Department for several reasons. The war on drugs has always fascinated me. I have always had an anti-drug belief. I also have a boyfriend that works for the government. We often discuss corruption within different government agencies. …