What positions did the West take on tariffs and a federal
role in promoting economic growth?

Northerners and Westerners tended to favor tariffs, banking, and internal improvements, while Southerners tended to oppose them as measures.

nothing certain is known about what happened, but it seems that the country declined gradually, perhaps due to bad government, or, more likely, due to a series of bad harvests, which resulted in widespread and recurrent famine.