Which 1916 act sought to regulate child labor in interstate commerce and was ultimately struck down by the Supreme Court?

Which 1916 act sought to regulate child labor in interstate commerce and was ultimately struck down by the Supreme Court?

• A. The Adamson Act (1916)
• B. The National Industrial Recovery Act (1933)
• C. The Keating-Owen Child Labor Act (1916)
• D. The Fair Labor Standards Act (1938)

Answer: (C)

Federal attempts to regulate labor depended on the Commerce Clause, but the early 20th century Court limited how far Congress could reach into production through that power. The Keating-Owen Child Labor Act of 1916 tried to stop interstate commerce in goods produced by underage workers, effectively using federal authority to regulate how goods were made. Yet the Supreme Court struck it down, holding that the act regulated production inside states, not the interstate shipment itself, and thus fell outside Congress’s trading-power reach at the time. This ruling shows why early efforts to curb child labor faced constitutional hurdles, a barrier that wouldn’t be fully overcome until later New Deal legislation expanded federal reach in a different way to regulate labor standards.

Federal attempts to regulate labor depended on the Commerce Clause, but the early 20th century Court limited how far Congress could reach into production through that power. The Keating-Owen Child Labor Act of 1916 tried to stop interstate commerce in goods produced by underage workers, effectively using federal authority to regulate how goods were made. Yet the Supreme Court struck it down, holding that the act regulated production inside states, not the interstate shipment itself, and thus fell outside Congress’s trading-power reach at the time. This ruling shows why early efforts to curb child labor faced constitutional hurdles, a barrier that wouldn’t be fully overcome until later New Deal legislation expanded federal reach in a different way to regulate labor standards.