AF-separation-of-powers-Digital-20 - Flipbook - Page 24
10Th Ammendment
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.
Significance of The
Tenth Amendment
Powers Not Delegated are Reserved
to the States or the People
T
he Tenth Amendment closes out the Bill of Rights. It
bundles together the first ten amendments to the
Constitution, all of which concern American principles
of individual liberty and limited government. The Tenth
Amendment, describing America’s version of
federalism, was drafted by Founding Father James
Madison, the primary drafter of the Constitution and
the Bill of Rights. Madison is celebrated as the “Father
of our Constitution” for his influence over our system
of government and his key role in the ratification
process, advocating for our Constitution as one of three
authors of the 85 essays, collectively known as the
Federalist Papers.
Arranged in numerical order, the first eight
amendments of the Bill of Rights establish and protect
individual freedoms against unjust government
interference. As for the two remaining amendments,
including the Tenth Amendment, a 1941 SCOTUS
decision characterized them both as mere declarations,
or “truisms,” meaning neither amendment authorizes
or restricts government powers, but rather should be
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