Business Regulation

(Period: Growth and Transformation)

Synopsis:

For a brief synopsis of the history of this time and period: Click Here.

Historical synopsis courtesy of A Hypertext on American History from the colonial period until Modern Times by Department of Humanities Computing, University of Groningen, The Netherlands and the former United States Information Agency (1953-1999).

Key Facts:

• Cleveland's Interstate Commerce Act turned was not as effective as it could have been, because the conservative Supreme Court often ruled against its provisions.

Key Events:

• 1887 - President Grover Cleveland signed the Interstate Commerce Act, which prevented unfavorable pricing activities by businesses, specifically railroads, that hurt consumers.
• 1890 - Sherman Antitrust Act - a law seeking to prevent excessively powerful monopolies that didn't serve its full purpose until later President Theodore Roosevelt fully enforced it.

Key People:

• Benjamin Harrison - Republican defender of protectionism who won the presidency in 1988.