Why were attempts by Congress to regulate child labor and factory conditions in local workplaces struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional in the late nineteenth century?
A) Regulating local workplaces was perceived to be inconsistent with the full faith and privileges clause of the Constitution.
B) Regulating local workplaces was perceived to violate the Twenty-First Amendment to the Constitution.
C) Regulating local workplaces was perceived to violate the comity clause of the Constitution.
D) Regulating local workplaces was beyond the scope of understanding of interstate commerce at the time and was, therefore, perceived to be an unconstitutional exercise of power by the federal government.
E) Regulating local workplaces was perceived to violate the strongly held value of regulated federalism.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

At the time, the Supreme Court interpreted the Constitution narrowly, and held that regulating local workplaces was beyond the scope of the federal government's power over interstate commerce. Therefore, attempts by Congress to regulate child labor and factory conditions in local workplaces were struck down as unconstitutional. This interpretation changed in the early twentieth century with the Court's ruling in cases such as Lochner v. New York and Muller v. Oregon, which allowed for greater government regulation of labor practices.

Why Were Attempts by Congress to Regulate Child Labor and Factory