Over the past few years, “Buy American” has been a popular slogan and sign of patriotism. But when you see a label or tag that states “Made in USA”, is that really accurate? The answer isn’t as clear cut as you think and can be as confusing as the question “What is still manufactured here?” For example, a single product such as a car rolling off a Detroit production line can be made up of parts mostly produced overseas. Technically, an item that is assembled and mostly incurs costs here can be labeled as American made, but this also depends on the product itself. The origin of apparel, for instance, is based on where the majority of materials come from.

All of this serves as straightforward and revealing example of the global economy that impacts every aspect of our daily lives whether or not we like it. According to Newsweek, American icons such as the Etch-a-Sketch, Levi’s jeans, and even baseballs in our national pastime aren’t made here. Pretty soon, people...