I believe it would be: Prevent businesses from creating monopolies
Hope this helped!
Answer: Allowing interstate commerce to be dominated by powerful monopolies.
Explanation:
Here's the complete question:
All who recall the condition of the country in 1890 will remember that . . . the country was in real danger from another kind of slavery . . . that would result from the aggregations of capital in the hands of a few individuals and (businesses) controlling, for their own profit and advantage exclusively, the entire business of the country, including the production and sale of the necessaries of life." —Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan, 1911
In this excerpt, Justice Harlan is warning against —
John Marshall Harlan, was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from from 1877 till when he died in 1911.
In this excerpt, Justice Harlan is warning against allowing interstate commerce to be dominated by powerful monopolies.
He believes that when interstate commerce is left in the hands of few, powerful individuals, it is a form of slavery as the businesses will only look to extort the people and make more profit and do things that'll only be beneficial to them.
Yes, it is true that the <span>steamboat was used not only on American waterways but also in international trade, although it was far more prominent in domestic trade. </span>
In capitalist countries (and those transitioning to capitalism), overt or direct government control of the economy is avoided. Instead, the government seeks to provide the infrastructure and security/stability needed in order for business interests to flourish and the economy to grow.
Direct government control of the economy was the pattern of "mercantilism," which was dominant prior to the rise of capitalism. According to Adam Smith, one of the founding theorists of capitalism, mercantilism was bad because the government tried to regulate and control commerce too much. Smith, along with French economic theorists known "physiocrats" (wanting to let "nature rule"), advocated a "laissez-faire" approach to commerce and industry, letting businesses run themselves in competition in a free market.
However, for that free market to flourish, governments will do their part by providing infrastructure -- roads, ports, etc. Governments also will ensure the stability and security needed for businesses to operate safely and consistently. So governments will enact laws affirming rights and fairness in business contracts and enforce those laws, and also provide national security within their lands so that economic growth can flourish due to peaceful circumstances. (Warfare causes great disruption to economies.)
