It took Smith 15 years to write the wealth of nations. He was probably under a lot of pressure, he says. The main thrust of his argument was all the previous stuff about how the economy works and in particular that restrictions on trade and commerce produce bad results. So it wasn't his main thing.
Economists and politicians have turned him into a mascot for free-market ideology. Some on the left say the right has badly misread him. Prepare for a very Smithy tug of war. (Part 2 of “In Search of the Real Adam Smith.”)