Freedom of Contract
Liberty of Contract, in Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court of the United States (David S. Tanenhaus ed. 2008)
10 Pages Posted: 20 Aug 2008 Last revised: 28 Aug 2016
Date Written: August 19, 2008
Abstract
This essay provides a concise overview of the history of the constitutional status of freedom of contract in the United States, with particular attention to the rise and fall of the "liberty of contract" doctrine in the early 20th century.
Keywords: Allgeier, contract clause, Fourteenth Amendment, Frisbie, government regulation, interference interpretation, New Deal, Ogden v. Saunders, police power regulation, Slaughterhouse cases, Supreme Court
JEL Classification: K12
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation