What is the text of the 10th Amendment?
Asked by: Kip Quitzon | Last update: February 8, 2026Score: 4.2/5 (34 votes)
The text of the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: "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.". This amendment reinforces the principle of federalism, clarifying that the federal government only holds powers specifically granted to it, with all other powers belonging to the states or individuals.
What is the text of the Tenth Amendment?
10th Amendment:
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.
What is the 10th Amendment of India?
The Tenth Amendment of the Constitution of India, officially known as The Constitution (Tenth Amendment) Act, 1961, incorporated Dadra and Nagar Haveli as the seventh Union territory of India, by amending the First Schedule to the Constitution.
What is the 10th Amendment in your own words?
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.
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.
The 10th Amendment in One Lesson
What is the full text of the First Amendment?
Constitution of the United States
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Who wrote the 10 amendments to the Constitution?
After the Constitution was adopted in 1787, many feared it gave too much power to the federal government and lacked safeguards for individual rights. To address these concerns, James Madison drafted a series of amendments based on ideas from state constitutions, Enlightenment philosophy, and English legal traditions.
How to explain the 10th Amendment to a child?
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 examples of 10th Amendment cases?
topic: tenth amendment
- Calder v. Bull 3 U.S. 386 (1798)
- Martin v. Hunter's Lessee 14 U.S. 304 (1816)
- Gibbons v. Ogden 22 U.S. 1 (1824)
- Northern Securities Co. v. ...
- McCray v. United States 195 U.S. 27 (1904)
- Hammer v. Dagenhart 247 U.S. 251 (1918)
- State of Missouri v. Holland 252 U.S. 416 (1920)
- Bailey v.
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.
Is state rights the 10th Amendment?
Tenth Amendment Rights Reserved to the States and the People
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.
What is section 10 all about?
The State shall promote a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation and free the people from poverty through policies that provide adequate social services, promote full employment, a rising standard of living, and an improved quality of life for all. Section 10.
How does the 10th Amendment impact education?
States and local school boards control and regulate public schools. According to the U.S. Constitution's 10th Amendment, “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution… are reserved to the States respectively.” In fact, the Constitution is silent on education.
How to remember the 10th Amendment?
Imagine a big wooden pen surrounding each and every individual state. The tenth amendment provides individual states with powers not held by the federal government.
What is an example of a violation of the 10th Amendment?
Violations of the Tenth Amendment often involve the federal government overstepping its bounds by commandeering state resources or infringing on powers reserved for states, as seen in *Printz v. U.S. (forcing local police to conduct gun background checks) and *New York v. U.S. (requiring states to take radioactive waste), establishing the "anti-commandeering" doctrine that protects state sovereignty from federal mandates. Other examples involve federal laws dictating state policy on education standards (Common Core) or healthcare funding (Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion) through coercion, where states face loss of federal funds if they don't comply, though these have had mixed legal outcomes.
Why is the Tenth Amendment the most important?
The 10th Amendment is crucial because it protects federalism, reserving powers not given to the federal government to the states or the people, acting as a check against federal overreach and safeguarding individual liberties and local governance, though its interpretation shifts with court rulings and political debates. It defines the balance of power, ensuring states retain authority over areas like family law, education, and local policing, which is vital for a diverse nation with varied needs.
What is a real life example of the 10th Amendment?
For example, in New York v. United States, the Court held that the Tenth Amendment prohibited Congress from enacting a comprehensive plan for the disposal of radioactive waste that required states to assume responsibility for the disposal of waste within their borders.
What is the 10th Amendment today?
In essence, Goodwin said, the 10th Amendment established that states retain sovereign power to make local laws and govern within their borders and the federal government could not impose its will over a state, unless that authority has been granted by Congress or the Constitution.
What is a sentence for the 10th Amendment?
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.
Who wrote the first 10 amendments?
James Madison primarily wrote the first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, to the U.S. Constitution, introducing them in the First Congress in 1789, though he drew inspiration from George Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights. These amendments, ratified in 1791, guarantee fundamental individual liberties and limit government power.
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 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!.
What is 10 of the Bill of Rights?
10. Everyone has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected.
What are the first 10 words of the Constitution?
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of ...
Who actually hand wrote the U.S. Constitution?
Jacob Shallus or Shalus (1750–April 18, 1796) was an American calligrapher who was the engrosser or penman of the original copy of the United States Constitution.