Compelling Headline

By the early 1880s, he dominated the oil business throughout the country and his company had a net worth of $55 million. Under Rockefeller's leadership, the company established a system of pipelines to transport its product. It owned train cars, and dug up thousands of acres of forest for fuel. In 1882, Rockefeller organized the Standard Oil Trust, a business trust that would serve as a model for the creation of other kinds of monopolies. Rockefeller, of course, was appointed head of the organization. But as Rockefeller's power and wealth increased, his standing with the public decreased drastically, By the early 1800s states began to enact antimonopoly legislation, paving the way for the 1890 passage of the Sherman Antitrust Act.