Sherman Anti-Trust -Sherman Antitrust Act, 1890, first measure passed by the U.S.

Congress to prohibit trusts; it was named for Senator John Sherman -US federal legislation of 1890 that prohibited the creation of monopolies by outlawing direct or indirect attempts to interfere with the free and competitive nature of the production and distribution of goods. Amended by the Clayton act of 1914. -The Act put responsibility upon government attorneys and district courts to pursue and investigate trusts, companies and organizations suspected of violating the Act. The Clayton Act (1914) extended the right to sue under the antitrust laws to "any person who shall be injured in his business or property by reason of anything forbidden in the antitrust laws.". Under the Clayton Act, private parties may sue in U.S. district court and should they prevail, they may be awarded treble damages and the cost of suit, including reasonable attorney's fees. Chinese Exclusion Act -Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882 -to prevent Chinese immigration to the United States. Large numbers of Chinese came to the West Coast after the discovery (1848) of gold in California and during the construction (186469) of the Central Pacific Railroad. -The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited all Chinese laborers from entering the United States for a period of ten years. It also banned Chinese immigrants who were already in the United States from becoming U.S. citizens. The legislation permitted a few groups of Chinese to immigrate, but it was aimed primarily at unskilled laborers. An additional provision of the law led to the first significant deportation of a particular group of immigrants. It was the first time that the United States outlawed immigration on the basis of ethnicity. Pendleton Act Jan. 16, 1883 Widespread public demand for civil service reform was stirred after the Civil War by mounting incompetence, graft, corruption, and theft in federal departments and agencies. After Pres. James A. Garfield was assassinated in 1881 by a disappointed office seeker, civil service reform became a leading issue in the midterm elections of 1882. In January 1883, Congress passed a comprehensive civil service bill sponsored by Sen. George H. Pendleton of Ohio, providing for the open selection of government employeesto be administered by a Civil Service Commissionand guaranteeing the right of citizens to compete for federal appointment without regard to politics, religion, race, or national origin. Interstate Commerce Act Act to Regulate Commerce, was signed by President Grover Cleveland on February 4, 1887. With the enactment of the Interstate Commerce Act, the railroads became the first federally regulated industry in the United States. The passage of this act was a challenge to the nineteenth-century notion of laissez-faire. Laissez-faire is the idea that economic and business industries would thrive better with little government interference or regulation, other than that which is necessary to protect individual and property rights. This act also created the Interstate Commerce Commission, a five-member committee that would oversee the investigation of railroad abuses and the enforcement of the act.