Federal Antitrust Legislation
Excerpt from the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887
Public Law 49-41, February 4, 1887
Enrolled Acts and Resolutions of Congress, 1789–
General Records of the United States Government, 1778–1992
Record Group 11
National Archives
Excerpt from the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890
U.S. Code, Title 15, Chapters 1-7
Published by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives
In the second half of the nineteenth century, the largest industries in the United States enjoyed tremendous growth under the direction of a few very rich and powerful men. Financial investors J. P. Morgan (1837–1913) and Jay Gould (1836–1893), oil businessman John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937), railroad chief Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794–1877), and steel boss Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919) all built huge, highly profitable corporations that were more extensive and complex than any that had previously existed in the country. These men exercised a great amount of influence over the business world and national affairs, and the American public opinion of them was strongly divided. Those who applauded the manufacturing advances the wealthy businessmen introduced to the country referred to them as captains of industry, while those who criticized them for their dishonest business practices and poor treatment of workers called them robber barons.
This is a free page. This page contains 201 words. This
article contains 4,222 words (approx. 14 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Article with our Federal Antitrust Legislation Access Pass.
