Why was the Sherman Antitrust Act inadequate?
Answer:
Let's start with a general overview: The Sherman Antitrust Act was originally intended to attack "trusts", but has been used instead to break up monopolies. (A full copy of the Act is in the second link below.)
It's major hole was that it didn't really work!
Its very first target was the Standard Oil company trust, but by the time it was implemented against that trust, Standard Oil had long since quit operating as a trust. I'd call that a "hole."
Most Acts of Congress go through a long list of definitions. This Act didn't define such obvious things as: "trust,” "combination," "conspiracy," and "monopoly." I'd consider that a "hole" in a document that was supposed to curtail trusts, combinations, consipiracies, and monopolies.
Ultimately, the Sherman Act was used against Union's--as a way of defeating them. It was never intended to do that! I'd consider that a big hole.
The Sherman Act didn't do what it sat out to do, it was ill defined, it was used against targets it wasn't intended to target, and it took way too long to become effective.
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