What is a fun fact about the 10th Amendment?
Asked by: Thad Glover I | Last update: February 15, 2026Score: 4.8/5 (12 votes)
The 10th Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights ratified in 1791, reserves powers not given to the federal government to the states or the people, famously described as a "truism" or "commentary on the Constitution itself" by James Madison, who wrote it to calm fears about a powerful central government, even though he initially opposed a Bill of Rights, and it functions as a bedrock of American federalism, defining the division of power between federal and state governments.
What are the facts about the Tenth Amendment?
Amendment Ten to the Constitution was ratified on December 15, 1791. It makes clear that any powers that are not specifically given to the federal government, nor withheld from the states, are reserved to those respective states, or to the people at large.
What is the 10th Amendment for kids?
The 10th Amendment is like a rule that says the U.S. government only gets the powers listed in the Constitution, and any powers not listed belong to the states or the people, keeping power balanced; think of it as if the federal government is a chef with a specific recipe book (the Constitution), and if a recipe isn't in there, the states (or you!) can make their own dishes, like deciding school rules or driving ages.
What are 5 fun facts about the Constitution?
The U.S. Constitution is the world's oldest and shortest written constitution, famously missing words like "democracy" and "slavery," was written in secret with a $30 clerk's fee, features "Pensylvania" spelling, and has only two signers who became U.S. Presidents (Washington & Madison).
What is unique about the First 10 amendments?
Many of the rights and liberties Americans cherish—such as freedom of speech, religion, and due process of law—were not enumerated in the original Constitution drafted at the Philadelphia Convention in 1787, but were included in the first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights.
What Is The 10th Amendment? - Law Enforcement Insider
What are the 10 amendments called?
The first ten amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights talks about individual rights.
Can the 10 amendments be changed?
Amendments can't change directly but they can be repealed by later amendments. Most famously the 18th amendment prohibits alcohol, and the 21st amendment repealed the 18th 13 years later.
What is the shortest Constitution?
The Constitution of India is the longest written constitution of any country in the world, with 146,385 words in its English-language version, while the Constitution of Monaco is the shortest written constitution with 3,814 words.
Which is the no. 1 Constitution in the world?
The Indian constitution is the world's longest for a sovereign nation. At its enactment, it had 395 articles in 22 parts and 8 schedules. At about 145,000 words, it is the second-longest active constitution—after the Constitution of Alabama—in the world.
Who wrote the 10th Amendment?
Instead, the 10th Amendment functions as a commentary on the Constitution itself. James Madison wrote the 10th Amendment to allay fears that the new federal government—as created by the Constitution—would trample on the authority of states and the rights of individual Americans.
How to easily remember the 10 Amendments?
To remember the first 10 amendments (the Bill of Rights), use memorable acronyms like GRASP (Religion, Assembly, Speech, Press, Petition) for the 1st and simple associations like "Two Arms" (2nd Amendment) or "Plead the Fifth" (5th Amendment). Visual methods, such as finger gestures (one finger for speech, two for arms) or creating vivid stories with rhyming objects (a bun for #1, a shoe for #2, a door for #4), also help connect numbers to their concepts.
What did the 10th Amendment do for education?
States are granted plenary authority on matters of education by the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Why do states like the 10th Amendment?
The Tenth Amendment is similar to Article II of the Articles of Confederation: Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled.
What does Amendment 10 mean in kid words?
The 10th Amendment is like saying, "If the Constitution doesn't say the big national government has a power, then that power belongs to the states or to the people," keeping things fair and not letting the federal government get too big; it means states can make their own rules for things like schools or local laws, and you have rights not even listed in the Constitution!.
How do the 10 amendments impact us?
The Bill of Rights is the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. It spells out Americans' rights in relation to their government. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual—like freedom of speech, press, and religion.
What is the longest constitution?
Answer. The Indian Constitution is the world's longest written constitution, with 146,385 words in its English-language version, whereas the Monaco Constitution is the world's shortest written constitution, with 3,814 words. Answer.
Can Japan declare war?
Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution contains “No war” clause. It came into effect on May 3, 1947, immediately after World War II. The text of the article of the Japanese Government formally renounce war as a right of sovereignty and the refuses to settle disputes using military force.
Does Japan have free speech?
Freedom of assembly and association as well as speech, press and all other forms of expression are guaranteed. No censorship shall be maintained, nor shall the secrecy of any means of communication be violated.
Who signed the constitution first?
George Washington, as president of the Convention, signed first, followed by the other delegates, grouped by states in progression from north to south.
Which country has the lowest constitution?
Monaco has the shortest written constitution with just 3,814 words.
How many words are in a constitution?
The U.S. Constitution has 4,400 words. It is the oldest and shortest written Constitution of any major government in the world. Of the spelling errors in the Constitution, "Pensylvania" above the signers' names is probably the most glaring.
What did amendment 10 change?
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.
Which amendment cannot be changed?
The Constitution of the United States is codified, and Article V allows all amendments except for the condition that "no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate".
When were the 10 amendments approved?
Ten of the proposed 12 amendments were ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures on December 15, 1791. The ratified Articles (Articles 3–12) constitute the first 10 amendments of the Constitution, or the U.S. Bill of Rights.