Why was the bill of rights less powerful in the 19th century? a. the question of rights and freedoms in new states was unresolved. b. economic hardships put issues of individual freedom to the side temporarily. c. the supreme court ruled that it only applied to the federal government. d. the supreme court resisted making any rulings on the bill of rights.

C is the correct answer.

Prior to the 14th Amendment, the view of the Supreme Court, as articulated in Barron v. Baltimore, was that the Bill of Rights only applied to the Federal Government.

After the 14th Amendment, the rights articulated in the Bill of Rights began to be understood as applying to the States as well.

b. major john c. frémont led a rebellion called the bear flag revolt.

explanation:

during the bear flag revolt, from june to july 1846, a small group of american settlers in california rebelled against the mexican government and proclaimed california an independent republic. the republic was short-lived because soon after the bear flag was raised, the u.s. military began occupying california, which went on to join the union in 1850. the bear flag became the official state flag in 1911.