Which amendment confirms that powers not delegated to the United States are reserved to the states or the people?

• A. The 10th Amendment
• B. The 13th Amendment
• C. The 14th Amendment
• D. The 1st Amendment

Answer: (A)

Federalism is the idea that powers are shared between the national government and the states. The Tenth Amendment makes this balance explicit by saying that powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited to the States, are reserved to the States or to the people. This establishes a constitutional safeguard that any authority not given to the federal government remains with state governments or the people, preventing the central government from overstepping its enumerated powers. It helps explain why states can handle areas like education, licensing, and local law enforcement unless Congress has clear authority to act in those areas.

The other amendments address different topics: the one about slavery’s abolition and civil rights protections, the one about citizenship and due process, and the one about fundamental liberties like speech and religion. None of them define who holds power between the national and state governments in the way the Tenth Amendment does.