Bastiat asserts that the contrary is actually true. I am in agreement with Bastiat’s argument, as the poor of the 21st century are far better off than the poor of the 19th century. Think about what being poor meant to a person during the industrial revolution. Being poor meant that each person worked 12 hours a day 6-7 days a week in horrid conditions.
I do believe that humankind, as a whole, is much better off than we were in the 19th century. However, comparing life two centuries ago to life now is similiar to comparing apples and oranges. Technology has advanced astronomically. This has allowed for new machines to be built which replace jobs that previously required manual labor. But that also means that we need people to build and control these machines. New jobs have been created that are equally as difficult to those in the 19th cenutry, they just require a different skill set. It may seem like the poorer population is making more money and they have better benefits, which is true to some degree. Although, it has a lot to do with the state of our economy, which has changed drastically. Minimum wage seems to have risen in comparison to the wages in the 19th century. Inflation plays a huge role in this matter though. For example, in 1870, an acre of land in Washington state usually cost around $5. In January of 2023, it was determined that an acre of land in the same area goes for about $13,000. I would have to disagree with your statement that the poorer now are better off because I believe it is very difficult to compare the two.
Furthermore, the role of government should be to defend people's rights to engage in free exchange and competition, not to shield particular industries from competition...
I agree with this conclusion completely. The government should not be allowed to control and block manufacturers from taking part in trading with other producers. A smaller and less "involved" government would allow citizens to exercise their individual rights. Manufacturers of all kinds would have the ability to gather goods that they would not have access to otherwise. For example, if France was not allowed to trade with other countries, they would not have coal, corn, petroleum gas, or aircraft parts. It would be nearly impossible to function without some of these materials. It is within each citizen's right to engage in free trade and competition, if the government controls these aspects of their lives, many people will lash out and they will no longer support their government. Bastiat's essay, "Petition of the Manufacturers of Candles, Waxlights, Lamps, Candlelights, Street Lamps, Snuffers, Extinguishers, and the Producers of Oil, Tallow, Resin, Alcohol, and, Generally, of Everything Connected with Lighting", displays a perfect example of how ridiculous it would be for the government to block their citizens from their individual rights. The foreign competitor he portrays is the Sun. Blocking natural light would be absurd, as it is given to us without needing anything in return. Similarly, keeping citizens from engaging in free exchange and competition does not make sense whatsoever.