The Constitution and its amendments are the foundation of our democracy and the centerpoint

of so many controversies in American politics.

We decided to take these important amendments one by one and go back to basics.

If freedom of speech and the right to bear arms are enshrined as fundamental values, we

want to understand them on a deeper historical level.

We put together this series on the amendments to do just that.

After ratifying the Constitution in 1788, many delegates thought amending it with a bill

of rights was unnecessary and would even be harmful.

Many argued that the federal government through the Constitution had been granted no power

to violate the rights of the people.

The addition of a bill of rights might imply the federal government did have some power,

and any list of restrictions would always be incomplete and therefore threaten those

rights not included.

The 10th amendment was included to make sure future generations understood that the inclusion

of a bill of rights does not change the federal government's limited power.

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.

Under the 10th amendment, the federal government should have no power except those specifically

listed or given by the people.

In the last two centuries, the federal government has been given, or perhaps taken, power, deemed

necessary to protect the people's rights, protections like child labor laws, civil rights,

minimum wage, and the Affordable Care Act.

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