July 2, 1890: Congress passes the Sherman Anti-Trust Act

Wednesday 2 July 2008

The Sherman Anti-Trust Act, the oldest of all U.S. antitrust laws, was the government's first effort to limit monopolies. It placed responsibility on district courts and government attorneys to pursue trusts along with companies suspected of violating the act. It was initially proposed to break up the Standard Oil trust but was aimed at anything that caused a “restraint of trade.”