What did the Incorporation Doctrine achieve?

The Incorporation Doctrine is a legal concept that achieved the significant objective of making the Bill of Rights applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause. Originally, the Bill of Rights was designed to limit only the federal government's power, meaning states were free to enact laws even if they contradicted the rights laid out in the first ten amendments.

As the Supreme Court interpreted the Fourteenth Amendment, it began to apply specific rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights to the states, a process that has occurred gradually through various landmark decisions. This means that individual rights, such as freedom of speech or protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, are now enforceable against state governments just as they are against federal entities. This expansion of rights significantly transformed the relationship between individuals and state governments, ensuring greater protection of civil liberties across the board.

The other options do not accurately reflect the purpose or outcomes of the Incorporation Doctrine. Eliminating federal authority over state laws might suggest a separation rather than a connection of rights, while creating new amendments or facilitating the creation of state constitutions fall outside the scope of what the doctrine achieved. The focus remains on the incorporation of existing rights from the Bill of Rights to the states.