Which constitutional idea is associated with applying most of the Bill of Rights to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment?

Which constitutional idea is associated with applying most of the Bill of Rights to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment?

• A. The Commerce Clause
• B. The Supremacy Clause
• C. Incorporation
• D. The Full Faith and Credit Clause

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is incorporation—the process by which most protections in the Bill of Rights are applied to state governments through the Fourteenth Amendment. Originally, the Bill of Rights limited only the national government, but the Supreme Court gradually held that state governments must also respect those rights when they act to deprive people of liberty or property. Through selective incorporation, many provisions—such as speech, press, and criminal procedure rights—have been made binding on the states. This is why the Fourteenth Amendment is the vehicle that extends most of the Bill of Rights to state action. The other clauses mentioned govern different relationships between the federal government and the states and are not about applying federal rights to the states.