Which amendment protects states from making laws that would infringe on the rights specified in the First Amendment?

The correct answer is the 14th Amendment because it includes the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses, which have been interpreted to mean that the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, including those in the First Amendment, are applicable to the states. This amendment serves as a critical mechanism ensuring that states cannot enact laws that would infringe upon individual rights such as freedom of speech, religion, assembly, and the press.

The significance of the 14th Amendment lies in the application of the Bill of Rights to the states, which was not originally the case when the Constitution was first ratified. Through various landmark Supreme Court cases, these protections have been extended to prevent state governments from enacting laws that violate the basic rights of individuals as established in the First Amendment.

In contrast, the other amendments listed do not address the relationship between state laws and individual rights in the same way. The 12th Amendment relates to the electoral process for the President and Vice President, the 10th Amendment asserts states' rights and powers not delegated to the federal government, and the 8th Amendment deals with cruel and unusual punishments. None of these amendments provide the same direct connection to protecting individual rights against state infringement as the 14th Amendment does