Through which amendment does incorporation apply rights to state governments?

Through which amendment does incorporation apply rights to state governments?

• A. First Amendment
• B. Second Amendment
• C. Third Amendment
• D. Fourteenth Amendment

Answer: (D)

Incorporation is achieved through the Fourteenth Amendment. The Bill of Rights originally limited only the federal government, not the states. After the Civil War, the Fourteenth Amendment added the Due Process Clause, and the Supreme Court interpreted that clause to require state governments to honor many of those same rights. Through selective incorporation, most protections in the Bill of Rights now apply to the states as well. The other amendments aren’t themselves the mechanism for extending rights to the states; they provide the rights, while the Fourteenth Amendment provides the means to apply them to state governments.

Incorporation is achieved through the Fourteenth Amendment. The Bill of Rights originally limited only the federal government, not the states. After the Civil War, the Fourteenth Amendment added the Due Process Clause, and the Supreme Court interpreted that clause to require state governments to honor many of those same rights. Through selective incorporation, most protections in the Bill of Rights now apply to the states as well. The other amendments aren’t themselves the mechanism for extending rights to the states; they provide the rights, while the Fourteenth Amendment provides the means to apply them to state governments.