The Sherman Antitrust Act (Sherman Act,[1]26 Stat. 209, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1-7) is a landmark federal statute in the history of United States antitrust law (or "competition law") passed by Congress in 1890. It prohibits certain business activities that federal government regulators deem to be anticompetitive, and requires the federal government to investigate and pursue trusts.
It has since, more broadly, been used to oppose the combination of entities that could potentially harm competition, such as monopolies or cartels.
According to its authors, it was not intended to impact market gains obtained by honest means, by benefiting the consumers more than the competitors. Senator George Hoar of Massachusetts, another author of the Sherman act, said the following:
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1778
The major reason for a nation having a written constitution is to have a system of laws. This rule of law helps the nation provide policies and regulations to keep the peace.
The first major piece of federal antidrug legislation came in 1914, with the enactment of the Harrison Narcotics Act.
Sherman Antitrust Act was the first major federal legislation passed to encourage competition in the United States.