The original Standard Oil Company did not shut down due to standard commercial bankruptcy or failure; rather, it was legally dissolved following a landmark 1911 antitrust ruling by the United States Supreme Court. The federal government prosecuted the conglomerate under the Sherman Antitrust Act, determining that its vast monopoly over oil refining, transportation, and marketing constituted an illegal restraint of trade. To restore free-market competition, the court ordered the parent trust to break apart into 34 independent successor companies, which later evolved into separate corporate giants such as Exxon, Mobil, Chevron, and Amoco.