The purpose of the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is to reaffirm the principle of federalism by clarifying that any powers not specifically delegated to the federal government by the Constitution, nor prohibited to the states, are reserved to the states or to the people. This amendment limits the scope of federal authority, ensuring that the federal government only exercises powers explicitly granted to it, while all other powers remain with the states or the people
. Ratified in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights, the Tenth Amendment was intended to ease concerns among states' rights advocates who feared an overly powerful central government. It serves as a constitutional boundary that prevents the federal government from overreaching its enumerated powers, thereby protecting state sovereignty and individual liberties
. In essence, the Tenth Amendment acts as a constitutional reminder that the federal government is one of limited and enumerated powers, and that the balance of power between the federal government and the states is a foundational aspect of the American political system
