What significant change did the 14th Amendment bring regarding the Bill of Rights?

The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, introduced the concept of incorporation, which significantly impacted the application of the Bill of Rights. Prior to this amendment, the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights were primarily designed to limit the power of the federal government. The 14th Amendment, particularly through its Due Process Clause, allowed for these rights to be applied to the states, thereby ensuring that state governments could not infringe upon the fundamental liberties guaranteed to individuals.

This incorporation process means that many protections within the Bill of Rights, like freedom of speech, religion, and the right to due process, are now applicable to state actions as well as federal actions. This marked a major expansion of civil rights protection in the United States, demonstrating a fundamental shift toward ensuring that individual liberties are protected against violations by both state and federal authorities.

The other options do not accurately reflect the primary impact of the 14th Amendment: it did not restrict state rights per se, eliminate the need for a grand jury (which is a protection primarily associated with the Fifth Amendment), nor did it inherently enhance the power of the federal government beyond ensuring individual rights against state encroachments. Thus, the correct answer highlights the crucial role of the 14