Incorporation Doctrine

This is an Inquiry Pack to accompany the Federalism Timeline on LegalTimelines.org, which examines the evolving division of duties and powers between the federal and state governments throughout the eras of federalism.

Built around primary sources from the Library of Congress and other collections, this Inquiry Pack facilitates a deep dive into an important aspect of the history of federalism in the United States.

Each Inquiry Pack includes a background reading, several primary sources (documents, articles, images), discussion questions about the sources, an inquiry question, and an inquiry extension question.

This pack includes the following components:

• Introduction: Incorporation Doctrine
• Constitutional Amendments and Incorporation
• Incorporating the First Amendment
• Selective Incorporation
• Inquiry Question: What impact has the incorporation doctrine had on federalism (the division of power between the federal and state government)?
• Inquiry Extension Question: Why has it taken over 150 years to incorporate most of the Bill of Rights?
• Inquiry Question Graphic Organizer