Legal Definitions - Tenth Amendment

The Tenth Amendment is a part of the United States Constitution that was ratified in 1791 as a part of the Bill of Rights. It states that any powers that are not specifically given to the federal government by the Constitution, and are not prohibited to the states, are reserved for the states or the people.

For example, the federal government has the power to regulate interstate commerce, but it does not have the power to regulate intrastate commerce. This means that the states have the power to regulate commerce within their own borders.

Another example is education. The Constitution does not give the federal government the power to regulate education. This means that the states have the power to make their own decisions about education, such as what subjects to teach and how to fund schools.

The Tenth Amendment is important because it helps to protect the rights of the states and the people. It ensures that the federal government does not have too much power and that the states have the ability to make their own decisions about important issues.