Final answer:
The Supreme Court expanded the incorporation of the Bill of Rights to ensure equal treatment for all citizens by applying the rights protected in the Bill of Rights to state and local levels.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Supreme Court expanded the incorporation of the Bill of Rights to ensure equal treatment for all citizens. This means that the rights protected by the Bill of Rights, such as freedom of speech and the right to a fair trial, would apply to everyone, not just at the federal level but also at the state and local levels.
Before this expansion, certain rights were not guaranteed to individuals in every state, as different states had different interpretations of the Bill of Rights. The Supreme Court's decisions expanded the scope of these rights, ensuring consistency and protection for all citizens across the United States.
For example, in the landmark case of Gitlow v. New York (1925), the Supreme Court held that the First Amendment's protection of freedom of speech and the press applies to the states through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This decision marked the beginning of the incorporation doctrine, which gradually extended the application of the Bill of Rights to all levels of government.
Learn more about the expansion of the incorporation of the Bill of Rights