Amendment X
Ratified: December 15, 1791
Summary
Reinforces the principle of federalism.
Full Text
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
History and Context
If the Ninth Amendment addresses unlisted rights, the Tenth Amendment addresses unlisted powers. It is the cornerstone of federalism and was included to assuage the fears of the Anti-Federalists who worried that the new national government would swallow up the states. It clearly states the principle that the federal government is one of limited and enumerated powers. If a power is not specifically given to the federal government in the Constitution, nor specifically denied to the states, then that power belongs to the states, or to the people themselves. It was a final, powerful assurance that the states would remain vital centers of power and governance.