A goal of the sherman antitrust act of 1890 was to protect the public from avaricious business practices of monopolies employed to curb or eliminate competition in the marketplace.
Sherman Antitrust Act constituted the first legislation enacted by the United States Congress (1890) to curtail accumulation of power that interfere with trade and reduce economic competition. It received its name for U.S. Senator John Sherman of Ohio, known for being an expert on the regulation of commerce.