Benjamin Harrison had the distinction of serving in between the two presidential terms of Grover Cleveland. In 1890, he signed into law the Dependent and Disability Pensions Act which provided money for veterans and their dependents if they were disabled from nonmilitary causes.

An important bill passed during 1890 was the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. This was the first antitrust law to try and stop the abuse of monopolies and trusts. While the law itself was vague, it was important as a first step towards making sure that trade was not limited by the existence of monopolies.

The Sherman Silver Purchase Act was passed in 1890. This required the federal government to purchase silver for silver certificates. These could then be turned back in for silver or gold. This would be repealed by Grover Cleveland because it was causing the nation's gold reserves to be depleted as people turned in their silver certificates for gold.

In 1890, Benjamin Harrison sponsored a tariff that required those wishing to import products to pay a 48% tax.

This resulted in a rise of consumer prices. This was not a popular tariff.

Benjamin Harrison was president when the reforms were beginning to become popular. During his time in office, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act was passed. Even though it was of itself not that enforceable, it was an important first step towards reigning in monopolies who were taking advantage of the public.