Cantwell v. Connecticut helped incorporate which First Amendment protection to apply to the states?

• A. Free Exercise Clause
• B. Establishment Clause
• C. Speech Clause
• D. Petition Clause

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is how religious liberty is protected against state action through incorporation of the First Amendment. Cantwell v. Connecticut held that the Free Exercise Clause applies to the states by way of the Fourteenth Amendment, so state laws cannot burden someone’s religious practice. In the decision, the Court struck down a Connecticut statute that restricted street-corner religious solicitation, ruling that using a license to curb religious activity violated the Free Exercise protections. This case helped establish that the states must respect individuals’ right to practice their religion without unnecessary government interference, a principle that later guided how free exercise claims are evaluated.

This is different from the Establishment Clause, which curbs government endorsing or supporting religion; the Speech Clause, which protects speaking and other forms of expression; and the Petition Clause, which covers the right to petition the government. Cantwell focuses on protecting religious exercise from state regulation, not on how the government interacts with religion in other ways.