Keating-Owen Act

United States [1916]

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Last updated

June 30, 2026

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The Keating-Owen Act was a United States law passed in 1916 that aimed to regulate child labor. It prohibited the interstate shipment of goods produced in factories or mines where children under 14 were employed, or where those aged 14-16 worked more than an eight-hour day. However, in the 1918 case of Hammer v. Dagenhart, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the act. The Court ruled that the law exceeded federal authority and infringed upon states' rights to regulate local labor conditions. This decision was later overturned in 1941.1

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Grace Abbott
…the employment of juveniles, the Keating-Owen Act (1916). This law was declared unconstitutional in 1918, but Abbott secured a continuation of its policy by having a child-labour clause inserted into all war-goods contracts between the federal government and private industry. In October 1919 Abbott returned to Illinois as director of…
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…the employment of juveniles, the Keating-Owen Act (1916). This law was declared unconstitutional in 1918, but Abbott secured a continuation of its policy by having a child-labour clause inserted into all war-goods contracts between the federal government and private industry. In October 1919 Abbott returned to Illinois as director of…
Read More

Hammer v. Dagenhart
…United States struck down the Keating-Owen Act, which had regulated child labour. The act, passed in 1916, had prohibited the interstate shipment of goods produced in factories or mines in which children under age 14 were employed or adolescents between ages 14 and 16 worked more than an eight-hour day.
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…United States struck down the Keating-Owen Act, which had regulated child labour. The act, passed in 1916, had prohibited the interstate shipment of goods produced in factories or mines in which children under age 14 were employed or adolescents between ages 14 and 16 worked more than an eight-hour day.
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