The document summarizes the reform movement that aimed to bust monopolies and trusts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in America. During this time, monopolies and trusts left much of the nation's wealth concentrated in the hands of a few powerful men. Policies following the Reconstruction Era favored northern industrialists and set no business regulations. This led to the rise of large railroad and business monopolies through acts like the Homestead Act and Pacific Railway Acts that promoted western expansion and gave favorable deals to companies.