... Doctrine • In 1925, the Court ruled in Gitlow v. New York that states could not abridge free speech due to the 14th Amendment's Due Process Clause. • This was the first step in the development of the incorporation doctrine whereby the Court extended Bill of Rights protections to restrict state actions. • Not all of the Bill of Rights has been incorporated. For example the 2nd and 3rd amendments have not been incorporated. First Amendment: Freedom of Religion In this section we will look at each of these clauses of the First Amendment, the controversy and power struggles surrounding them and the way the Courts have interpreted and applied them. Founding Fathers • While not all of the founders endorsed religious freedom for everyone, some of them notably Jefferson and Madison, cherished the right of all individuals to believe as they pleased. • Many of the colonies and later states had established religions. After independence all ...

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