The Civil War Era itself saw great steps taken in civil rights--mainly, that blacks were no longer seen as property but under the 14th Amendment were granted equality under the law. However, this progressive pace slackened somewhat in the years following the Reconstruction. As a few shrewd businessmen gained money and power in vast quantities, Congress quickly lost the ability to regulate commerce almost entirely. Though the American government tried to protect consumers with new constraints on business such as the Sherman Anti-trust act, these laws were not nearly potent enough to cripple the monopolies which had reached their peak in the years following the Civil War.…
