Explain why the framers of the Constitution included the tenth amendment in the document?

Question

Explain why the framers of the Constitution included the tenth amendment in the document?

Answer 1

Because they wanted to prevent exactly the situtation we are seeing today, and have seen for pretty much all of the 20th and some of the 19th centuries - the usurpation of power by the federal government.

They wanted power as DE-centralized as possible. They first tried to avoid anything resembling a federal government altogether. They realized that power has a tendency to not only corrupt, but to grow, especially if left unchecked. However the Articles of Confederation left a lot to be desired, so they convened to address that. They then fought for a long time about the pros and cons (and dangers) of a federal government. In the end, the Federalists won, but only by addressing the concerns of the anti-Federalists. That is why the Bill of Rights was created, the anti-Federalists feared that things were not explicitly spelled out well enough in the Constitution.

Among what they wanted spelled out was that the Constitution created, defined, and conferred power to the federal government, but ONLY the power it EXPRESSLY STATED.

That's what the 10th Amendment is re-iterating.

Of course, people don't care, and want everything handed to them today, so they not only don't understand what the fed gov can and can't do, they don't care. And so they let it's power run out of control, completely unchecked. This comes mostly from the left, who wants to give endless handouts to everyone.