Presented by Willard Hurst as part of his course "Introduction to Modern American Legal History" at the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1978. The legal and social protections that support human worth and dignity are discussed in this lecture, and mainly linked to individual private property rights. The fee simple titles that were available to individuals settling in the Mississippi Valley and the abolition of imprisonment for debt are considered key components of these protections. The protection of autonomy and private will is furthered explored within contemporary settings as Hurst as explains the dynamics behind property rights on the job, governmental loyalty checks, fair employment practices, collective bargaining, and due process and equal protection clauses. The large and impersonal market had become a hallmark of present day society, and is bolstered by an equally expansive administrative apparatus. Hurst considers the costs and benefits of this human dependence on financial solvency though an investigation of SEC legislation, the investment banking act, the control of public utilities, the fair trade and commerce clause, FTC legislation, and corporate responsibility. These elements are tied to the previous discussion on the human importance in property and individual worth.
