Final answer:
The Contract Labor Law of 1885 (Foran Act) restricts immigration to protect domestic labor. It preceded acts like the Wagner Act, which focused on workers' rights to organize, and the Fair Labor Standards Act, which established minimum wage and limited child labor.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Contract Labor Law of 1885, also known as the Foran Act, was legislation passed to address issues related to immigration and labor. Specifically, it restricts immigration by prohibiting the importation of foreigners and aliens under contract or agreement to perform labor in the United States. This law was one of the early attempts by the U.S. government to regulate the flow of immigrants, especially to curb the practice of companies contracting cheap labor overseas to undermine domestic wages and working conditions.
Over time, additional acts such as the Wagner Act of 1935 and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 have built upon labor regulations. The Wagner Act significantly reinforced workers' rights to organize and bargain collectively, while the Fair Labor Standards Act established minimum wage, limited child labor, and set rules for overtime pay. The emphasis of later acts has been to protect workers' rights and provide a fair working environment, unlike the Foran Act which mainly aimed to restrict immigration for labor purposes.