ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Interstate Commerce Act of 1887

Imagine you have a toy shop in your town, and you always get your toys delivered by a truck. But what if the truck drivers charged you too much to deliver your toys or refused to deliver them because your shop was too small? That wouldn't be fair, right?

Well, a long time ago in the year 1887, the United States government made a very important law to make sure that businesses that transport goods or people across states (like the truck drivers that bring toys to your shop) can't do unfair things like that. This law is called the Interstate Commerce Act.

Now, this law has a lot of rules and regulations, but the main idea is that companies that provide transportation services (like trains, boats, and trucks) must treat all customers and their goods equally, without discrimination. This means that they can't charge some customers more than others, or give better services to some people or companies than others.

The government also created an organization called the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to make sure that companies follow this law. The ICC has the power to investigate complaints from customers or competitors and punish companies that break the rules.

So, in short, the Interstate Commerce Act is a law that ensures that businesses that transport goods or people across different states in the United States treat all customers fairly and can't discriminate against anyone.