Washington and Turner v. Ogden was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1861. The dispute arose from an 1851 contract between Washington and Turner, two African-American men, who had agreed to work for Ogden as servants for five years in exchange for their freedom at the end of that period. When they were not released after five years, they sued Ogden on grounds of breach of contract. The Supreme Court held that slavery was illegal under the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution and thus could not be enforced through contracts such as this one; therefore, Washington and Turner were entitled to their freedom without further payment or service being required by them. This decision established important precedent regarding slavery's illegality throughout all states within the Union regardless of any state laws which might have allowed it previously.

In Washington and Turner v. Ogden, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a state law that prohibited African Americans from entering into contracts with white people violated the Thirteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. The majority opinion held that it did not violate the amendment because it only applied to contracts between individuals, rather than those made by states or governments. Justice Field dissented from this decision, arguing that while there may be some cases in which such laws are permissible under certain circumstances, this particular law should have been struck down as unconstitutional since its purpose was clearly discriminatory against African Americans. He argued further that any attempt by a state government to limit an individual's right to enter into contractual agreements based on race is inherently wrong and violates both natural justice and basic human rights principles enshrined in our nation’s founding documents.