CLAYTON ANTITRUST ACT OCTOBER 1914 CLAYTON ANTITRUST ACT BUSINESS/COMMERCE LABOR/LABOR UNIONS U.S GOV'T LEGISLATIVE U.S GOVERNMENT AND CONSTITUTION ECONOMY AND LABOR IN OCTOBER 1914 CONGRESS PASSED THE CLAYTON ANTITRUST ACT THE ACT CLARIFIED AND STRENGTHENED THE 1890 SHERMAN ANTITRUST ACT WHICH HAD DECLARED MONOPOLIES ILLEGAL THE CLAYTON ANTITRUST ACT ADDRESSED SEVERAL OF THE SHERMAN ACT'S FLAWS BY DEFINING CERTAIN BUSINESS PRACTICES AS ILLEGAL BECAUSE THEY ENCOURAGED THE FORMATION OF MONOPOLIES OR RESULTED FROM MONOPOLIES THE ACT CLEARLY DEFINED TRUSTS AS COMBINATIONS OF BUSINESSES NOT LABOR ORGANIZATIONS OR INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF LABOR ORGANIZATIONS BUSINESSES COULD NO LONGER USE FEDERAL ANTITRUST LEGISLATION TO PREVENT LABOR UNIONS FROM ORGANIZING HOLDING COMPANIES WERE ALSO DECLARED ILLEGAL BECAUSE THEY SUPPRESSED COMPETITION IN ADDITION THE ACT MADE IT POSSIBLE TO HOLD INDIVIDUALS RESPONSIBLE FOR VIOLATING ANTITRUST LAWS IN PRACTICE THE ACT DID LITTLE TO HELP LABOR OR TO CONTROL BIG BUSINESS NEVERTHELESS SAMUEL GOMPERS PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR REFERRED TO THE ACT AS LABOR'S MAGNA CARTA THE ROBINSON PATMAN ACT IN 1936 AND THE CELLER KEFAUVER ACT IN 1950 STRENGTHENED PROVISIONS OF THE CLAYTON ANTITRUST ACT
