The Supreme Court was at first hesitant to apply the Fourteenth Amendment to protect individual rights and left this up to the states, as many had their own bill of rights.

The Supreme Court examined the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment in the case of Gitlow v. New York (1925), and recognized the right of free speech as a basic right.

Covers the basic facts of the Gitlow v. New York (1925) case in which the Supreme Court upheld the conviction, and established precedents governing freedom of speech and state law.

After the Gitlow v. New York (1925) case, the Supreme Court used the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to examine how the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment applied to the states.

Covers the process of selective incorporation, where the Supreme Court examines rights on a case-by-case basis to determine if they are being protected.

Explains how the Bill of Rights came to be, and how the Supreme Court was able to extend its application through the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The passage of the Bill of Rights had little impact on most people. In 1833, the Supreme Court ruled that it applied only to the federal government. The provisions in the Bill of Rights were incorporated later through the 14th Amendment...