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Amendment X
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When the Constitution was presented for ratification to the people of the thirteen independent states, many were surprised-- and even alarmed -- by the extent to which powers previously exercised by the states (for example , taxation and controlover commerce) were now to be exercised by the federal government. In the words of Virginia statesman Patrick Henry, the new government was not really ''federal'' in character but rather a ''cosolidated government,''one which would render the identity and powers of te states meaningless. The TenthAmendment reserves all powers not specifically given to the federal government by the Constitutiton (most of which are contained in Article I, Section 8, in the enumeration of the powers of Congress) to the state governments; it was intended to allay feats about thefederal governmentpossessingexcessive power.
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In one sense, the Tenth Amendment is one of the most important features of the Constitution, for it articulates the principle that the federal government is one of specifically delegated powers, and that it should only exercise those powers explicitly enumerated in the Constitution. But in fact, the Tenth Amendment, because of its generality, has not proven to be much of an impediment to the steady expansion of federal power since the time the Constitution was adopted, although opponents of ''big government'' have in recent years invoked the Tenth Amendment in their arguments with greater frequency.
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