Anti-Trust Laws The anti-trust movement in America during the late 1800s and early 1900s is a prime example of the conflict in society between autonomy and responsibility. Trust-related issues tested the extent to which the government could allow businesses to maintain their autonomy and at the same time fulfill its responsibility to protect the right of the common worker. America was founded on the principles of free enterprise. Throughout its history, the United States government maintained a "laissez-faire" or "hands off" policy in regard to regulation of business. However, in the late 1800s public demand for the government to regulate big business in order to protect the rights of farmers and smaller business owners became overwhelming. The time had come for America's government to decide the extent to which it was responsible to protect smaller industry from big business. Owners of big businesses had to be forced to take social responsibility for the underhanded and cutthroat methods they were using to eliminate the competition. As a result, congress made several attempts to manage the corporate giants. A series of laws passed around the turn of the century brought the U.S. government closer to successful regulation of business. In order to understand the legislation Congress passed to curb the autonomy of big business, it is first necessary to understand the methods such businesses used to control the market. One of the first industries to use such business practices was the railroad industry. The first method it used to eliminate competition was known as the "pool." A pool was an agreement between companies in a particular industry to maintain a certain price or to divide the market.1 This eliminated competition and... ... middle of paper ... ... 3. Steven J. Diner, A Very Different Age (New York: Hill and Wang, 1998), 16. 4. Paul J. Haworth, The United States in Our Own Times 1865-1922 (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1920), 157-158. 5. Haworth, 190. 6. Haworth, 159-160. 7. Diner, 170-171. 8. Harold U. Faulkner, Politics, Reform, and Expansion (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1959), 78. 9. Hacker, 289. 10. Haworth, 189-190. 11. Hacker, 466-467. Works Cited - Diner, Steven J. A Very Different Age. New York: Hill and Wang, 1998. - Faulkner, Harold U. Politics, Reform, and Expansion. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1959. - Hacker, Louis M. and Benjamin B. Kendrick. The United States Since 1865. New York: F.S. Crofts & Co., 1932. - Haworth, Paul J. The United States in Our Own Times 1865-1922. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1920.
Henretta, James A. and David Brody. America: A Concise History, Volume I: To 1877. 4th ed. Boston:
Henretta, James A., Robert O. Self, and Rebecca Edwards. America a Concise History. Vol. 1: To 1877. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin's, 2013. N. pag. Print. Pages 195, 196, 198-199
Henretta, J. A. and Brody, D. (2010). America: A Concise History, Volume 2: Since 1877. 4th
During the progressive era, both Roosevelt and Wilson put in great effort to defend smaller businesses. Theodore Roosevelt’s policy of prosecuting monopolies, or “trusts,” that violated federal antitrust laws was known as “Trust-Busting.” This forced industrialists and monopolistic corporations to consider public opinion when making business decisions, which benefited the consumer and helped grow the economy. One way that Wilson and Roosevelt tried protecting these smaller businesses was by removing trusts that were much bigger than they were. Under Wilson’s authority in 1814, the Clayton Anti- Trust Act was passed, which abolished interlocking directorates. This law was passed as an amendment to clarify and supplement the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. When Roosevelt became president in 1901, he demanded a “Square Deal” that would address his principal concerns for the era- the three C’s: control of corporations, consum...
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During the Progressive Movement, government regulation of big business was a prominent theme. This theme was primarily shown in President Roosevelt’s idea of the ‘Square Deal.’ In 1904 he advocated this domestic reform program which called for government control of corporate abuses. The ‘Square Deal’ was his campaign slogan in the election of 1904. It basically meant that when big business abuses its power, the government will step in to make business equal on all sides, like a square. This ensured that business was fair for all. In 1902, Roosevelt put his idea into use during the United Mine Workers Strike when the workers wanted a raise, shorter hours and recognition of their union but their employers refused to give them what they wanted. Roosevelt called both sides to the White House and forced a compromise. The workers were given shorter hours and a raise but not recognition of their unions. In another instance, Roosevelt applied his plan when he passed the Elkins and Hepburn Acts in 1903 to give the Interstate Commerce Commission power to regulate railroads, prohibit better rates to ‘favorite’ customers, and allow the ICC to set ma...
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