This law was passed largely in response to public demand that railroad operations be regulated. The act also established a five-member enforcement board known as the Interstate Commerce Commission. It also made the railroads the first industry to be federally regulated in U.S. history.
What is the Interstate Commerce Act?
An African-American journalist and activist who led an anti-lynching crusade in the U.S. in the 1890s.
Who is Ida B. Wells?
This 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision upheld racial segregation laws for public facilities under the doctrine of "separate but equal" in the states across the country.
What is Plessy v. Ferguson?
This landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision declared that states could not regulate commerce that went beyond their boundaries. Instead, regulation had to come from the federal government. The decision provided the basis for the formation of the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1887.
What is Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway Company v. Illinois?