The Sherman Antitrust Act was primarily aimed at dismantling large corporations and monopolies from its inception, and it was never used against labor unions during its initial enforcement period.

The Sherman Antitrust Act was indeed created to stop monopolistic practices, and it was first applied to big corporations such as Standard Oil. However, it was also used against labor unions during the early 1900s, when the federal government sued the American Federation of Labor for conspiracy under the Act. The courts treated unions as “conspiracies” that could restrain trade, so the Act’s reach was not limited to corporations alone. This shows that the law’s initial enforcement was broader than the statement suggests. In short, while the Act targeted monopolies, it also targeted unions from the start.